Despite being a huge admirer of Oscar Wilde – I’ve followed his footsteps in London, Dublin and Paris – I had had no idea he’d ever stepped on the Isle of Wight, until I read the book produced by the ‘Out on an Island’ project (incidentally, a great read if you’re interested in the more hidden aspects of the Island’s history). So when last year I heard about the ‘Wilde in Ryde’ walk, I was very disappointed that other commitments meant I missed it – and even more determined to catch it this time round!

I wasn’t disappointed! Like most of those who gathered outside Ryde Town Hall on a lovely sunny Sunday morning, I knew quite a bit about Wilde’s life and times, so it was relief that the talk did not just give us facts which are available in books or websites – instead, it took its inspiration from the reason Oscar came here – to give a talk on his views on dress and the importance of clothing.

First, a shout out to those behind the walk: first, Jason Watts who although not present in person, wrote the script for the performance, delving into archives and researching Wilde’s own speech, capturing Wilde’s use of language and including some quotes from the original texts, to make our experience not only memorable but as close as we could get to listening to the great man himself.

Second, the leader and marshalls of the walk who were friendly, approachable and made sure we were all comfortable and happy – and that Oscar had his coffee!! An extra touch was the use of radio earpieces which ensured every one of Oscar’s bon mots were clearly heard by all, even when walking along a busy road.

And then we were greeted by the man himself: Mr Wilde, perfectly portrayed by Si Lynch, who is no stranger to Island theatre. He can often be found treading the boards with Ad Lib Theatre – and look out for him in the Wight Strollers’ ‘Beauty and the Beast’ next month! – but he is clearly equally at home treading the streets of Ryde in character: and what a character! It is a real challenge to portray such an eloquent and charismatic maverick, but Si rose to the challenge to the point where you could really believe you were in the presence of Oscar himself.

Attired in a white suit with his signature green carnation – in Victorian times a silent indicator between members of the gay community – Si’s Oscar held the stage – I mean the pavement – effortlessly. We moved from the Town Hall – the site of Ryde Theatre where Wilde gave his original talk – down Union Street, noting the site of the photographer’s studio where Oscar had his photo taken; thence along the esplanade to Appley Tower.

Along the way we not only learned about Wilde’s life at the time he came over to the Island, but were treated to his views on what men, and ladies, should wear – I was delighted to hear him expound the health benefits of women ditching their corsets!

But how many colours is it permissible to wear? What colours to avoid? What is the importance of a waistcoat as an indicator of personality? You’ll just have to wait for the next Wilde in Ryde walk to find out – and I hope there will be another before too long. In the meantime, I can definitely recommend another StoneCrabs literary walk: a Freshwater trail alongside Virginia Woolf. And I hear they may be planning to host Algernon Swinburne as he walks through Bonchurch…..

Do look out for these wonderful walks – it’s as near as you can get to meeting some of the Island’s literary giants. And I’ll leave you with one last Wildean observation… “Only a shallow person…does not judge by appearance”.