Skip to main content
Sun, sea and socialism: what Engels thought of the Isle of Wight
From military inspections to geological observations, KEITH FLETT recounts how the communist’s 1857 visit to Ryde combined health recovery with a sharp analysis of Britain’s defences

MARX AND ENGELS were frequent visitors to a range of English seaside resorts, primarily in Kent and Sussex. The east coast was also a consideration.

Marx favoured Margate and Ramsgate and in later life Ventnor.

Engels ranged more widely. His liking for Eastbourne is well known but he spent time at a number of south coast locations including Brighton, Worthing and Littlehampton. Correspondence reveals him often searching for a source of Pilsner beer to enjoy.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
PROTEST PIONEERS: The assault of the Chartists on the Westgate Hotel, where some of their comrades were held prisoner, Newport, 1839
Features / 24 October 2025
24 October 2025

It’s not just the Starmer regime: the workers of Britain have always faced legal affronts on their right to assemble and dissent, and the Labour Party especially has meddled with our freedoms from its earliest days, writes KEITH FLETT

A ballot box arriving during the count for the Blackpool South by-election at Blackpool Sports Centre, Blackpool, May 2, 2024
Features / 11 September 2025
11 September 2025

Who you ask and how you ask matter, as does why you are asking — the history of opinion polls shows they are as much about creating opinions as they are about recording them, writes socialist historian KEITH FLETT

Ramsgate beach 1899
History / 14 August 2025
14 August 2025

The summer saw the co-founders of modern communism travelling from Ramsgate to Neuenahr to Scotland in search of good weather, good health and good newspapers in the reading rooms, writes KEITH FLETT

The main entrance of The Guardian Newspaper office on York Way, north London
Features / 21 July 2025
21 July 2025

At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR