Childhood memories

By Pam Butcher

My childhood up until the age of 8 was spent on two holidays a year staying at The Beach Hotel, Ventnor, room 23 with balcony overlooking the beach. The owner was a Mr Jung or Young and we stopped on a full board basis with me being a child having a high tea rather than evening meal. Prior to going to bed I always went on an amusement ride just down the road, just the one ride, every night. We toured the island, visiting all the sites, Osborne House, Blackgang Chine (not the big theme park it is today), the south downs, where an aeroplane wreck was. We also went to Ventnor Theatre twice during our weekly stay as the programme changed on a Thursday night. One thing I do remember is my Father getting permission to go into a tropical bar, which I think was the Shanklin Beach Hotel to see the baby crocodiles in the pool, I have tried to research this but cant seem to find anything to confirm my memory of this. Do you know where these little creatures might have been. My husband and I are doing a visit down memory lane in February when we will be staying at the Shanklin Beach Hotel and it would be great to know that this was the place where I had visited with my parents, 55/60 years ago.