The History of The Castle Inn, Sandown

Standing in Fitzroy Street in the heart of Sandown, The Castle Inn is one of the town’s oldest surviving public houses, with a history stretching back to the Victorian seaside boom of the late 19th century. Over the years it has been a beerhouse, a brewery-linked pub, a popular restaurant, and a much-loved locals’ bar, growing and changing alongside the town itself.

Victorian origins

The Castle Inn is believed to date from around 1872, when Sandown was expanding rapidly as a seaside resort following the arrival of the railway and the development of the seafront. Like many pubs of the period, it formed part of a terrace of buildings in Fitzroy Street rather than being built as a grand standalone inn.

Early records describe the premises as a beerhouse, a type of licensed property that could sell beer and wine but not spirits. These smaller drinking houses were common in working areas of growing Victorian towns.

The pub was originally owned by Messrs. Crowley & Co., brewers of Alton, and later passed into the hands of Watneys Brewery, making it a typical “tied house” supplied by a larger brewing company.

References in local family history, including A Tale of Three Families by Mary Pountain, confirm that the Castle Inn stood in the same terrace as residential houses and that a brewery connection was remembered locally even into modern times, although the brewery itself had long disappeared.

Rebuilding and expansion

The original beerhouse did not remain unchanged for long.

In 1934 the building was demolished and reconstructed, creating a larger and more modern public house to serve the growing town.

During the 1950s and 1960s the pub expanded several times:

• 1954 – the bar and cellar were extended into the neighbouring cottage
• 1956 – a new bar and illuminated beer garden were added
• 1960 – the lounge bar was enlarged
• 1963 – the dining area moved upstairs to a restaurant known as The Turret Grillroom, which became one of the most popular places to eat in Sandown at the time.

Many locals still remember the upstairs restaurant, which later operated as a steakhouse before closing.

By the early 1970s the name was shortened from The Castle Inn to simply The Castle, reflecting the modern trend for more informal pub names.

A traditional Sandown locals’ pub

Throughout the late 20th century the Castle became known as a proper back-street locals’ pub, famous for darts, crib, real ale, and a strong community atmosphere. Guides to Island pubs describe it as a traditional house where games and conversation were as important as the beer.

Unlike many seaside pubs, it remained slightly off the main tourist route, helping it keep its reputation as a genuine local meeting place.

Themed interior and modern character

In more recent years, The Castle has become well known for its distinctive interior, with medieval-style décor, dungeon-themed areas, and unusual props that give the pub its unique character today. Visitors often remark on the castle- and dungeon-style decorations, suits of armour, stone walls, and eerie displays that make the pub unlike any other on the Island.

Much of the pub’s current look is thanks to the long-standing landlords, Jo and Dave Radcliffe, along with their son Rick, who have run The Castle for over twenty years. Over that time they have invested a huge amount of effort, imagination, and no small amount of money into transforming the building into the Halloween haunt it has become today.

Every October the pub takes on a life of its own, with the interior filled with ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and all manner of strange creatures, and the Castle’s Halloween celebrations have become legendary locally. The decorations grow more elaborate each year, turning the pub into one of the most talked-about Halloween venues on the Isle of Wight.

Despite the theatrical surroundings, The Castle remains at heart a traditional Sandown local, known for its friendly atmosphere, strong community spirit, and its ability to surprise newcomers the moment they step through the door.

Part of Sandown’s story

For over 150 years, The Castle Inn has been part of everyday life in Sandown — serving workers, holidaymakers, families, and generations of regulars.

From its beginnings as a Victorian beerhouse, through brewery ownership, rebuilding, restaurant years, and modern themed interiors, the Castle has never stopped evolving, while still keeping the spirit of a traditional Isle of Wight pub.

And that is exactly how the best pubs survive.

Sources & References

• Sandown Town Council, Sandown’s Roads and Early Public Houses, Local History Publication, Sandown Town Council.
• Island Echo, The history of some of the seaside town of Sandown’s famous watering holes, 2023.
• Pountain, Mary, A Tale of Three Families, privately published family history, Isle of Wight. Available at: http://www.chelseacott.co.uk/threefamilies/
• Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Pub listing for The Castle Inn, Fitzroy Street, Sandown.
• Beer in the Evening, Public house directory entry for The Castle, Sandown.
• Visitor accounts and local recollections recorded in public reviews and guide listings relating to The Castle Inn, Sandown.
• General historical background on the development of Sandown as a Victorian seaside resort.