Rookley
Rookley was so named when in bygone days it was thickly wooded and the home of many rooks – in 1202 the name was spelt Roclee.
Pidford Manor, situated in a hollow a little way from the main road, was the original manor-house, not Rookley Manor, which is in the village on the Niton Road.
The W.I. Hall was originally the Church, but this was closed, and the building purchased by Rookley W.I. in 1960. Behind the Hall is the site of the first brickyard; the man in charge of this was also the local coal merchant. In those days Rookley was noted for gravel digging, and any gravel dropped by the way was known as "golden nuts".
The brickyard was replaced by a much larger one on the Godshill road, where the bricks made were considered to be of excellent quality. The tall chimney, erected in 1933, was quite a local landmark, but now the brickyard has been closed, the chimney demolished, and the site is to be used for light industry.
One of the most interesting houses in Rookley is the cottage next to the Post Office, for here the first meetings in the Island of the Bible Christian Methodist Society were held, in 1823. Nearby is the Methodist Church built in 1859. A new organ was purchased in 1910 for the sum of £21. A School Hall was added at the back of the building, in 1956.
On the Godshill road is Highwood Lodge. This, being about half- way between Ventnor and Cowes, is the place where the horses were changed for the coach service between these two towns. On the Niton road is Rookley Green where the old forge was situated; and a little further on is the only inn in the village, known as the Chequers, which presents a somewhat unusual appearance with slated walls. It is one of the oldest inns in the Island, and was at one time a Customs House.
Rookley Farm, which lies down in the valley near the marsh called the Wilderness, is an attractive stone building, partly of the 18th century.
