Sandown, United Kingdom

In the 1860s, five Palmerston Forts were built along the coast of Sandown Bay, including Granite Fort at Yaverland, now the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary. On the town's western cliffs Sandown Barrack Battery survives as a scheduled monument and Bembridge Fort, where the National Trust offers tours, can be seen on the downs to the north-east.

One of the first non-military buildings was Sandham Cottage or 'Villakin', a holiday home leased by the radical politician and one-time Mayor of London John Wilkes in the final years of the 18th century. See 'Sandown's famous connections' below.

The arrival of the railway in 1864 saw Sandown grow as a Victorian resort, with the town's safe bathing becoming increasingly popular. In the summer of 1874, the Crown Prince Frederick and Princess Victoria of Germany, their children and entourage rented several properties in the town and took regular dips in the Bay. Sandown's pier was built in the same decade, opening in May 1878, and extended in length in 1895.

The town laid further claim to becoming a fashionable English resort when the Ocean Hotel opened in 1899. The brainchild of West End theatrical impresario Henry Lowenfeld, the Ocean built around the town's previous hotel of choice, the King's Head. For the new hotel's inauguration, a large number of dignitaries were invited from London, arriving in Sandown from Portsmouth by special boat. Guests had the chance to explore Sandown in coaches and carriages, and the hotel servants were all dressed in uniforms 'like admirals and post-captains'.

In 1894 Sandown became an urban district, the district contained only the parish of Sandown. On 1 April 1933 the district and parish were abolished to form Sandown-Shanklin. In 1974 "Sandown-Shanklin" became an unparished area in South Wight district. On 1 April 1984 Sandown became a parish again. In 1995 it became part of the Isle of Wight unitary authority area.

During 1939 and 1940, in World War II, Dorothy O'Grady was an enemy spy in Sandown. She moved from London to the Isle of Wight with her husband, a former sailor and fireman, around 20 years older than her, in the mid-1930s and lived in Lake for a time before moving to Osborne Villa on The Broadway the main road through Sandown. When the Luftwaffe began to bomb London, her husband returned as a fireman. While he was still in work, Dorothy, who remained in Sandown, was arrested in August 1939. There were suggestions that her husband did not know what she allegedly did, as she refused to see him during her arrest. She was often sighted taking her Golden Retriever for walks in areas with no public access, which aroused suspicions. She was summoned to the County Bench at Ryde. When she did not come, a warrant for her arrest was issued. She was found with a false name in the West Wight (Back of the Wight), arrested and taken to Yarmouth Police Station. She told officers "I was too scared to attend", and was again summoned to Ryde on 15 October of the same year. She was committed for trial at Hampshire Assizes. The 2 day trail was held at Winchester from 16 to 17 December before Mr Justice Macnaghten, when Mrs O'Grady, defended by Mr J Scott-Henderson, pleaded not guilty to all 9 charges, all around the subject of sabotaging the British forces. It took around 1 hour for the judge to reach his verdict: she was found guilty of all 9 counts and treachery. She was sentenced to be hanged. A few days after Christmas, national newspapers reported her application to appeal. On Monday 10 February 1941, it was held at the Central Criminal Court in London. Her husband said he was "shocked and appalled" with her charges. The appeal was successful. Instead of being hanged, she would spend 14 years in prison. She served her sentence fully at the HM Prison Holloway, returning to the Island and Osborne Villa in 1955. On the day of her return, she was interviewed by Ted Findon for the Daily Express.

Another spy, Rose Murphy, was arrested for sending morse code messages to German planes from Sandown.

Sandown's destiny in the 20th century was to become a favourite bucket-and-spade destination for all classes. The Canoe Lake was opened in 1929 by the author Henry De Vere Stacpoole followed in 1932 by Brown's Golf Course. The Art Deco Grand Hotel, opened next door to Brown's in April 1938, is now closed with planning permission for demolition granted in 2014.

Today, Sandown's esplanade has a mixture of former Victorian and Edwardian hotels with modern counterparts overlooking the beach and the Bay. A new Premier Inn opened in 2021.

The original Sandown Pier was opened in 1878 and extended to its present length in 1895. The Pier Pavilion Theatre closed in the 1990s and the pier's former landing stage is used for sea fishing today.