 It was the site of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, where the "Guinness Book of Records" estimates 600,000 to 700,000, and possibly 800,000 people, flocked to see the musical talents of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Free, The Who, The Doors, Ten Years After and Jimi Hendrix.In keeping with the native flora of Compton Bay, a variety of hardy plants grow on the down.Large European gorse bushes grow on the cliff, with the shelter they provide allowing other plants such as wild cabbage and bird's foot trefoil to thrive.