The Needles the Isle of Wight, often photographed by visitors, and are featured on many of the souvenirs sold throughout the island. The main tourist attractions of the headland itself are the two gun batteries, the experimental rocket testing station, and the four Coastguard cottages owned by the National Trust. A branch of the National Coastwatch Institution is also based at the Needles, sited near the New Battery and Rocket Testing Site on High Down. The Needles – Landmark Attraction (previously known as The Needles Pleasure Park) situated at the top of the cliff at Alum Bay is a small amusement park.
The Needles (band) Trembling Bells and Bonnie Prince Billy's 2012 album The Marble Downs. Singer Dave Dixon later went on to front The Shiverin' Sheiks, who released the debut single 'Guided Missiles' on BrewDog Records in 2013, while bassist Paul Curtiss (née Milne) formed London-based psychedelic pop band The Magnetic Mind, which released the 7" single 'Maybe the Stars, Maybe the Sun' on Heavy Soul Records in 2012. The Needles recorded several sessions for the BBC, most notably for the Mark Lamarr show on Radio 2 in 2006, and played their last gig with the original line-up at the South by Southwest music