Fortifications of the Isle of Wight Fortifications of the Isle of Wight Many forts and fortifications have been built to protect the Isle of Wight (South England) from foreign invasion. Throughout history the island has been a site of key military importance. Controlling both entrances to the Solent and the home of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth. This is a list of most of the fortifications on the island. The Palmerston Forts are forts built during the Victorian era. The name comes from their association with Lord Palmerston, who was the Prime Minister of the time and promoted the idea. The structures were built as a response
Politics of the Isle of Wight single member constituencies and 1 double member constituency. The local council elections were held on 5 May 2005, the same date as the general election of that year. A local referendum on the issue of a directly-elected mayor of the Isle of Wight was held at the same time as the local elections - this failed to pass, with 37,097 against to 28,786 for. "Prior to 1995, these results are for Isle of Wight County Council." The Isle of Wight voted 62% to leave the European Union in the 2016 EU referendum, compared with 52% nationally. The Isle of Wight