History
The history of Villa Lavinia has been kindly provided courtesy of alexandragardens.co.uk
Alexandra Gardens, named after HRH Alexandra, Princess of Wales, is a private road of eight grand
villas overlooking the beach and harbour in Ventnor on the south coast of the Isle of Wight.
No.4 Alexandra Gardens is currently split into two separate units—the lower ground floor, Lavinia Flat, and the upper floors , now the stunning Villa Lavinia
For many years number 4 was a boarding house, most notably from 1926 to 1941 when it was the ‘Windsor’, owned by Carrie Farrow (shown above) who ran it with her aunt, Lavinia Smith. Lavinia was a long time loyal employee of J Lyons and Co and became supervisor of several Lyon Corner tea rooms, using a pony and carriage to visit the shops in her charge. Her niece, Carrie Farrow, a widow with a small son, Charles, also worked for J Lyons as a manageress.
The story that has been handed down their family is that when Lavinia
retired, J Lyons offered to reward her for her long service and loyalty by buying a house on the Isle of Wight, for her and her niece Carrie Farrow to run as a guest house. The only condition was that they were to take in German students and holiday makers.
Alexandra Gardens was sold by auction in 1926. Lavinia lived in an apartment on Grove Road and Carrie and her son lived in the ‘Windsor’. They ran the guesthouse together until it was too much for Lavinia. When she became ill with cancer she moved into number 4 and Carrie nursed her until she died on 18th November 1941.
After Carrie left, the house continued to be ran as a boarding house and at some stage was linked with number 5 to make the Windsor Carlton Hotel.
In December 2007 the doorway and covered walkway between 4 and 5 were blocked up and the buildings were once again separated.
Since December 2007, the villa has undergone a complete refurbishment. Still retaining all of its character and charm, the 5 bedroom retreat has been restored to a fantastic standard and named fittingly after the lady who ran the guesthouse in the 1920’s.
We look forward to seeing you at Villa Lavinia.
