ShideVisit

My Visit to the Isle of Wight

In May 1996, I visited the Isle of Wight with the intention of locating John Milne's laboratory and a plaque honoring him. The Japanese ambassador to England had ceremoniously unveiled the plaque and planted flowering cherry trees near it in 1974. Both the lab and the plaque are located in the village of Shide. Few locals knew of Milne, and they were not aware of his lab, or plaque, but with the help of a local librarian I located both of them. The lab, known as Shide Hill House in Milne's time (now a residence), is situated on a hillside on the outskirts of Shide, and the plaque is in a nearby park, close to a stream.

The plaque reads as follows:

PRUNUS KANZAN'

Presented by the University of Tokyo in memory of Professor John Milne (1850-1913)
The Father of Seismology, of the Imperial College Tokio and of Shide Isle of Wight
and was planted by his Excellency the Japanese Ambassador 14 March 1974