Wikipedia

Rookley

Rookley
Village
Rookley village green
Rookley is located in Isle of Wight
Rookley
Rookley
Location within the Isle of Wight
Population607 
OS grid referenceSZ507841
Civil parish
  • Rookley
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
  • Isle of Wight
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townVENTNOR
Postcode districtPO38
Dialling code01983
PoliceHampshire and Isle of Wight
FireHampshire and Isle of Wight
AmbulanceIsle of Wight
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Isle of Wight
50°39′17″N 1°17′00″W / 50.65482°N 1.28329°W / 50.65482; -1.28329

Rookley is a village and civil parish[1] on the Isle of Wight. It is located five kilometres south of Newport near the centre of the island. The population of the civil parish was recorded in the 2021 census as 607.[2]

It has a country park on the site of the last working Isle of Wight brickworks. There is a pub at the country park and another, the "Chequers", a short distance from the village. The latter was the centre of the island's smuggling trade in the 18th century.

Name

[edit]

The name means 'the wood or woodland clearing frequented by rooks', from Old English hrōc and lēah, the wood probably referring to Bunkers Copse, a small wood in the village.

1202: Roclee

1235: Rokele

1328: Roukley

1583: Rookeley

1769: Rookley[3]

Looking out of Bunkers Copse, towards Chillerton

Demographics

[edit]

At the 2001 census, its population was 641. At the 2011 census, its population was 638. In 2021, its population was 607. It had a 0.5% annual population change from 2011 to 2021.[4]

Gender (2021)[4]
Gender Number Percent
Male 298 50.3%
Female 294 49.7%
Age Groups (2021)[4]
Age Number Percent
0-17 90 15.2%
18-64 330 55.7%
65+ 172 29.1%
Age Distribution (2021)[4]
Age Number Male Female
0-9 40 24 16
10-19 65 37 28
20-29 41 22 19
30-39 48 21 27
40-49 57 24 33
50-59 119 54 65
60-69 94 41 53
70-79 91 43 48
80+ 37 17 20
Country of Birth (2021)[4]
Country Number Percent
U.K 562 92.7%
E.U 19 3.1%
Europe (other) 9 1.5%
Middle East and Asia 2 0.3%
Africa 7 1.2%
Other country 7 1.2%
Ethnic Group (2021)[4]
Group Number Percent
White 589 97%
Asian 7 1.2%
Black 3 0.5%
Mixed/multiple 8 1.3%
Religion (2021)[4]
Religion Number Percent
Christian 303 53.5%
Islam 2 0.4%
Buddhism 1 0.2%
Other religion 3 0.5%
No religion 257 45.4%

Transport

[edit]

Southern Vectis bus route 3 serves the village on its way between Newport, Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde, including intermediate villages.[5]

Amenities

[edit]

The Village Association Playing Field and Village Hall are in Highwood Lane. They are available for hire via the website. Gardening Galore is a popular event held annually.[6]

The Chequers Inn

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "English Parishes & Welsh Communities N&C 2004". www.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
  2. ^ "Rookley (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  3. ^ Mills, A.D (1996). The Place-Names of The Isle of Wight. Shaun Tyas.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Rookley (Isle of Wight, South East England, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Southern Vectis - bus route 3". www.islandbuses.info. 2008. Archived from the original on 28 April 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  6. ^ "Rookley Village Association". Island Webservices. 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.


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