In the Footsteps of Literary Giants: The Authors of Bonchurch Walk with the Ramblers.

In the Footsteps of Literary Giants: The Authors of Bonchurch Walk

At East Dene with the Ramblers

19th August 2026

The village pond at Bonchurch made for a fitting starting point yesterday, as David Howarth and eighteen fellow Ramblers gathered to set off from Ventnor in search of the literary ghosts of this remarkable Isle of Wight village. It was a particularly special outing too, with Ian Dickens — great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens himself — joining the walk, adding an unexpected personal thread to a day already rich with literary history.

The Forgotten Man Who Drew the Greats

Every good story needs an unlikely hero, and this one belongs to the Rev. James White — a name few would recognise today, yet one whose friendships quietly pulled some of the greatest writers of the Victorian age into this small village.

White's own claim to fame came early, with the serialisation of Sir Frizzle Pumpkin, published as a book around the same time Charles Dickens was cutting his teeth on The Pickwick Papers. But it was White's gift for friendship, as much as his writing, that shaped Bonchurch's literary legacy. He was close friends with William Makepeace Thackeray, author of Vanity Fair — and it was White who encouraged Thackeray to take up writing seriously, at a time when Thackeray was still better known as an illustrator than an author.

David Howarth sharing the pictures of young Algernon Swinburne at his graveside

Up to the Church: Swinburne's Story

From the pond, the group climbed to the parish church to hear the story of Algernon Swinburne and his eventual burial there — a poet whose fierce, unconventional verse feels a world away from this quiet Isle of Wight churchyard.

A short, specially arranged detour followed to the beautifully refurbished Swinburne home, where the group paused to take in the view he himself would have known.

Winterbourne holiday home of Charles Dickens in 1849

Winterbourne the summer holiday home of Charles Dickens. To the right is Ian Dickens, great great grandson of Charles.

Winterbourne and the Seeds of Dickens's Novels

The walk's next stop was Winterbourne, where the Dickens family spent a memorable holiday. It was here that the group learned how moments from that stay found their way into fiction — inspiring characters in both David Copperfield and, later, the unforgettable Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.

Visiting the 11th Century Church. Famously, the church was rebuilt in the 11th Century.

Small Graves and Great Friendships

The walk drew to a close at the village's ancient old church, a place layered with quiet stories. Here lie the graves of James White's young children — a reminder of the personal losses that touched even the most celebrated literary circles. It was also here that Thomas Carlyle famously visited the grave of John Sterling, promising to write his biography.

The group also heard about Alfred, Lord Tennyson's close friendship with the White family, and — perhaps most intriguingly — how that friendship played a part in his decision to move to Farringford, at Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, the house that would become forever associated with his name.

At the seafront at Bonchurch. The bright weather of the walk has changed to darker clouds for much needed rain.

A Morning Dip, Dickens-Style

No walk through Dickens's world would be complete without a nod to his famously disciplined habits, and the group finished at the seafront to view the spot where Dickens took his shower bath every single morning during his stay — a detail brought vividly back into the public eye recently by The Guardian, which featured it in coverage of an exhibition of Dickens's letters describing his holiday.

The Ramblers were a delightful group to share stories with - a village steeped in literary history, and a walk that turned familiar names — Dickens, Thackeray, Carlyle, Sterling, Swinburne and Tennyson — into people who once actually strolled these same lanes. Bonchurch may be small, but on days like this, it feels like the beating heart of Victorian literature.

With many thanks for the photos shared by the Ramblers.