Mersley

Mersley is a farming hamlet on the Isle of Wight. Mersley is in Newchurch Parish. Mersley is home to a large garlic farm which is part of the Isle of Wight Garlic Festival in nearby Newchurch, held annually since 1983 and now drawing 25,000 visitors a year.^[1] This garlic farm has also been investigated for inappropriate pesticide use in the past.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Renowned potter Molly Attrill works out of a converted barn in Mersley.^[7]

Mersley is the subject of archaeological interest because of findings of Roman pottery in the area.^[8][9] Ridges on nearby Mersley Down^[10] might be terraces, suggesting the previous presence of a Roman vineyard.^[11] There is evidence of a possible earthwork enclosure on a farm in Mersley.^[12]

There is a chalk pit on Mersley Down.^[13]

References

1. ^ The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
2. ^ Pesticide Incident Report 1999/2000, Health and Safety Executive.
3. ^ Pesticide Incidents Report 2000/2001, Health and Safety Executive.
4. ^ Garlic baron bounces back, James Arnold, BBC News, 24 July 2002.
5. ^ Mersley Farm, Isle of Wight, Lords Hansard text for 20 Dec 2000.
6. ^ Mersley Farm, Isle of Wight, Lords Hansard text for 15 Dec 1999.
7. ^ Molly Attrill based in Isle of Wight, South East, Full CV, Axis: the online resource for contemporary art, June 19, 2007.
8. ^ Trott, K., 2002, The evaluation excavation at Mersley Farm, Newchurch, Proc Isle of Wight Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 16, 95-112.
9. ^ ROMAN WIGHT, Malcolm Lyne
10. ^ Mersley Down pictures,Megalithic Portal.
11. ^ IRON AGE VINEYARDS ON MERSLEY DOWN ?, Archive of Monthly News Items As previously featured in the History Centre, Isle of Wight History Centre, January 2000.
12. ^ An assessment of LIDAR for archaeological use, David Motkin, formerly with the Isle of Wight Council Archaeology Service, AERIAL ARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP Annual Meeting, Aberdeen University, 5–7 September 2000.
13. ^ DUXMORE CHALK PIT, MERSLEY DOWN, NEWPORT, Isle of Wight Unitary Development Plan, Appendix E.

Coordinates: 50°40′45″N 1°12′56″W / 50.67917°N 1.21556°W / 50.67917; -1.21556