St Boniface Down

St Boniface Down is a chalk down near Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight, England. Its summit, 241 metres (791 ft), is the highest point on the island, with extensive views on a clear day stretching across the Island to the mainland beyond, as well as southwards over the English Channel. It is 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) north of the town. There is reputed to be a wishing well on its southern slope, which requires the wisher to climb up from the south without looking back. In 1545, a French invasion force attempted this against a force of the Isle of Wight Militia commanded by Sir John Fyssher – which allegedly included several women archers – and were routed. In 1940, the radar station was bombed by Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, which is reconstructed in the film "The Battle of Britain". The top is surmounted by a round barrow. At the eastern foot of the down, on the A3055 road between Bonchurch and Luccombe, a path formerly descended into Bonchurch Landslips via a scenic rock cleft, the Devil's Chimney. Following a major landslip in December 2023, this path is now partially destroyed and closed as unsafe.