Professor David Tomalin, IW County Archaeologist, 1980-2000:

On Friday, September 19, 135 people packed into the community hall at Yarmouth and enthusiastically discussed proposals for the future of Yarmouth's redundant school building.

The Yarmouth Community Foundation (YCF) proposes to transform it into a community activity centre for young and old, with an exciting shipwreck museum and a well-staffed centre of excellence for advancing the maritime archaeology of the Solent.

If approved, Martin Woodward’s astonishing collection of shipwreck artefacts and early oared lifeboats would be relocated from Arreton.

This highly popular attraction already welcomes thousands of visitors a year.

Facilities are also planned for local scouts/guides, providing a base to socialise in a building that has always ranked as the educational centre of the historic town.

This proposal has been jointly assembled by the Maritime Archaeological Trust (MAT) and the Herapath-Shenton Trust, a Yarmouth charity that has supported local education and recreational activities since the 1960s. The record of both is exemplary.

As ‘last man standing’ from the Yarmouth Maritime Heritage Project of 1985-88, I feel I should explain that the MAT was born of Yarmouth, after 26 local project staff were funded here by the Manpower Services Commission and then supported by the Isle of Wight County Council.

Support from Yarmouth residents was absolutely amazing (see Hansard 1988). Our surprise discovery was the wreck of the Santa Lucia (AD 1567) that still awaits full investigation just off Yarmouth Pier.

In Solent waters there is now so much coming to light.

United as the YCF, the trusts are prepared to take on the historic school building without calling on hard-pressed local authority funds.

What a perfect economic asset for one of Britain’s much-loved historic ports.

An alternative, converting or demolishing the building for speculative development, could introduce further holiday homes, empty for most of the year; a loss of an historic asset to the town and a big negative in Wight’s essential tourism profile.

Entrusted with the care of hundreds of artefacts from the Solent seabed, the Isle of Wight Council now finds itself blessed with an historic school building that finally offers the perfect home for exhibiting the maritime treasures it has long held in store.

With prudent collaboration, our Island’s rich maritime heritage can now be presented to visitors in the very best of all settings.

Here is a win-win opportunity to ameliorate current museum challenges by endorsing two highly respected home charities now ready to take up the baton.

It seems everyone’s eyes are now firmly fixed upon the handling of that baton and the present predicament of Yarmouth’s school.

Here's to Vectensian wisdom and integrity,