St Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village developed around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say it is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer and football in the winter, and also include a children's playground. The village is a short distance from the coast, about a ten-minute walk to St Helens Duver. The Duver was once the location of the island's first golf course (one of England's first golf courses), which for a while was almost as famous as the golf course at St Andrews. It is now a popular beach for tourists during the summer season and is protected by the National Trust. It is linked to other parts of the island by Southern Vectis bus route 8 serving Ryde, Bembridge, Sandown and Newport including intermediate villages. History The origin of St Helens seems to revolve around the Cluniac Priory and the monastic church, built circa 1080. In 1340 a French raid landed at St Helens but was repulsed by Sir Theobald Russell. In 1346 Edward III set sail from St Helens to invade Normandy. After Henry V suppressed the alien priories in 1414 the old church became the parish church. The original church eventually became unsafe and a new one was built further inland. In 1720 a great wave destroyed the old church, though the church tower still stands to this day; the seaward side is painted as a sea mark. It is believed that Admiral Lord Nelson's last view of England was of the St Helens seamark - HMS Victory had anchored nearby to collect drinking water, before setting sail for Cádiz and participation in the Battle of Trafalgar. In the early 18th Century, the entrance to the harbour was near to the church. Attempts at reclamation of the harbour, which were unsuccessful due to locals removing building materials, resulted in the harbour being moved. The church was undermined by the quarrying of stone from the beach, which accounts for the large dressed blocks leading along the beach to Priory Bay. A small gun battery, which has been lost to the sea, once defended the entrance. Dressed stones from the walls of the destroyed church, which were soft sandstone, were found to be good for scrubbing the decks of