Ashley Gardens, Ryde
Ashley Gardens is a small garden, with seats, a pond with a fountain and flower beds between the Strand and the Esplanade, Ryde, Isle of Wight.
Ashley House previously stood on the site, in 1894 it was a school run by a Miss Atherton[1].
In 1929 Ryde Town Council acquire the house, which had stood empty since 1923, 'for road improvements'[2].
The proposed 'road improvement' was to extend Monkton Street through to the Esplanade, however an application to the Ministry of Transport for funding was turned down, likewise funding was nor available from the Unemployment Grants Committee or the County Council's Road Committee[3].
The house was demolished and the gardens established in about 1930.
At the Esplanade end of the gardens there is a memorial to the Royal George Disaster erected in 1965 (the original memorial panel was relocated to the Royal George Memorial Garden in 2006 and a replacement panel installed here 2009) and also the 41 (Royal Marines) Commando who conducted much of their training on the Isle of Wight in 1942/43 prior to their WW2 action in Europe.
