If you’ve come to the Isle of Wight to be inspired, you’re in good company. The Island has been attracting artists, writers and pop stars for more than 200 years. Alfred Lord Tennyson composed The Charge of the Light Brigade walking on the downs, while Dickens wrote much of David Copperfield during a stay at Bonchurch. More recently, rock legend Jimi Hendrix gave his last ever performance at the Isle of Wight Festival of 1970.

You can explore the legacies of both the great Victorians and the rock stars at Dimbola Lodge on Freshwater Bay. The lodge was the home of acclaimed photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. See her work including pictures of Tennyson and his friends Charles Darwin, William Makepeace Thackeray, Lewis Carroll and Robert Browning, then cross from the black-and-white into the psychedelic world of Dimbola’s Isle of Wight Festival exhibition with its rare posters and memorabilia, plus a life-size bronze statue of Jimi Hendrix in the gardens.

To take the pulse of the Island’s contemporary cultural life, visit Quay Arts, the Isle of Wight’s equivalent of the South Bank Centre, in Newport. Located in a set of converted warehouses, with multiple gallery and performance spaces, it offers a packed programme of art exhibitions, concerts, theatre and cinema.

The Medina Theatre, also in Newport, stages regular concerts, ballet performances and cinema, while the Shanklin Theatre has a varied programme of musicals and plays. The Ventnor Winter Gardens hosts the annual Isle of Wight Jazz Divas Festival and you can see up-and-coming local rock bands and international superstars at live music hotspot The Venue at the Ryde Theatre.

Museums worth a look include the stunning Brading Roman Villa, which paints a vivid picture of the Island in Roman times, and the National Trust’s Brighstone Museum, a thatched cottage which houses an exhibition of old Island life.

English Heritage maintains some of the Island’s most historic properties, including Queen Victoria’s Osborne House, one of the finest stately homes in the UK, Carisbrooke Castle, which was Charles I’s last home before being captured and executed, and Yarmouth Castle, built by Henry VIII.

For a more lived-in experience, visit historic Arreton Manor, an early Jacobean manor house, old haunt of Charles I, and still a family home. The grand 18th-century Appuldurcombe House is being restored after a great fire a few years ago—you can visit the grounds, but be careful—it’s rumoured to be one of Britain’s most haunted sites. WILLIAM HIGGINS

Where to stay...

Farringford (01983 752500), Tennyson’s residence for 40 years is now an upmarket hotel, while Dickens’ Island home, Winterbourne Country House (01983 852535), is a B&B. For a royal treat, book Albert Cottage (01983 299309), East Cowes, former residence of Queen Victoria’s daughter Beatrice. Or live like a lord for a night in one of Arreton Manor’s two luxurious guest suites (01983 522604).

Eating out...

Sample the home-made food at the Quay Arts Café (01983 822490) while admiring the artwork. Or head for the Terrace Restaurant (01983 200022) at Osborne House, which offers stylish waiter service.

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