The Isle of Wight County Press has been bringing the news to Islanders since 1884. We've delved into the archives to find out what was happening in days gone by.

125 years ago, in March 1900:

The death of a cow on the railway at Sandown caused some hilarity in a court case. Farmer William Cooper argued that in 14 years, trains never passed at the time of the accident or at that speed. The defendants said it was a ballast train and that only passenger services were timetabled. The judge evoked laughter when he commented that, being the Island, it would not be surprising if there wasn't a first-class carriage tacked on to the tail of it. He also commented that it would be the first time that a criticism of too much speed could be applied to the IW Railway.

George Nash was fined a hefty 2s 6d (12p) and ordered to pay 8s 6d (42p) costs after being caught riding his cycle without lights along Ryde Esplanade.

100 years ago, in March 1925:

Canon Neville Lovett, formerly vicar of St Saviour's, Shanklin, and rural dean of East Wight, was instituted as archdeacon of Portsmouth. He was known to have a tremendous sense of humour.

A case of foot-and-mouth disease was detected by a vet at Lower Watchingwell Farm, Calbourne. The Island County Council issued an emergency order preventing the movement of cattle out of an area within a five-mile radius of the farm.

75 years ago, in March 1950:

Members of The Needles Golf Club came under fire when they were accused of lifting large swathes of turf, the size of two tennis courts, with which to patch up their course. Club secretary James Ramsden denied the accusations and said that an apology in the CP and the payment of a guinea (£1.05) to the RAF Benevolent Fund would be accepted.

There were plans to build a new launch to serve early-morning travellers from Yarmouth to Lymington so that commuters could get to London earlier.

Totland Bay Pier, which was breached for defence purposes during the war, was to be repaired with a Ministry of Transport grant of £19,000. It was expected to re-open at Easter 1951.

50 years ago, in March 1975:

There was concern that dredging could be causing beach and cliff erosion on the Island. A Yarmouth resident complained that dredging in the western Solent had caused about 25 yards of beach near the Saltings to disappear and that cracks had appeared in his house as the subsoil shifted to fill holes left by dredging.