Apse Heath

Apse Heath Village

Apse Heath sits on the crossroads where the Newport/Lake road crosses the Brading/Ventnor road.

Today it consists of houses, a village shop and the Chapel.

100 Years Ago

Early in the last century Apse Heath had a shop, a bakery and a brickyard.

Apse Heath Bakery

	Formerly the Village shop had been in the living accommodation of the Bakery but then a new shop was built on the other side of the crossroads and that meant that the bakery was then separate from the shop.
	Originally the shop and the bakery was owned by Mr. H. Taylor. Then it was split and the shop was given to one son Mr Ted Taylor and the bakery was given to the other son Mr George Taylor. Mr G Taylor and his wife lived in a house on the corner of Ventnor Road and the old bakery was behind the house.
	The "New" bakery was built later and was run by Sid and Bill Taylor. Bill Taylor died suddenly and the bakery was closed down in the 1960s. The "new" bakery then became a sweet factory and then in the 1990s a small block of flats was built in its place.
	Bread was baked at the Bakery and was delivered by horse and cart around the area. Bread was delivered to Arreton and Newchurch three times a week and Alverstone using the mail cart. The bread was also delivered to the local town. Some bread was also delivered to outlying places such as Stickworth and Hale Common by bicycle.
	The picture on the right shows the horse drawn bread vans in the middle of Apse Heath crossroads.
	Later as the rounds grew and with the growth of the motorised vehicle, the deliveries were made by motor vans.
	In the 1940's Apse Heath was very proud of its Baker and Confectioner Mr G Taylor and Sons. They won many awards in the 1940's for their high quality produce.
	Thanks to Mrs D Goddard (the grandchild of Mr George Taylor) who supplied the information on the bakery and the photograph of the bread vans.

Transport

	The main mode of transport was the pony and trap, though Apse Heath was also served by a bus in the early 20th century. The original bus service being run by a character called "Cookie". He carried passengers, sheep calves chickens and other merchandise in the body of the bus. He would also do any required shopping in Sandown or Newport as well as delivering goods.
	There was also a carrier from Sandown who would take passengers to Newport on Saturday evenings, crowded in the dark in the back of his canvas covered van. There were also others who ran carrier services from Sandown and Shanklin.

The Brickyard

Apse Heath had a brick yard in the 1920s, it closed down in 1937.

To find out more about the Apse Heath brick works please click in the button below.

Bits and Bobs