East Cowes is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the north of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, on the east bank of the

River Medina The River Medina is the main river of the Isle of Wight, England, rising at St Catherine's Down near Chale, and flowing northwards through the county town Newport, towards the Solent at Cowes. The river is a navigable tidal estuary from Newpo ...

, next to its west bank neighbour

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

. The two towns are connected by the

Cowes Floating Bridge The Cowes Floating Bridge is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the River Medina on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. The ferry crosses the tidal river from East Cowes to Cowes. The first floating bridge between the two tow ...

, a chain ferry operated by the

Isle of Wight Council The Isle of Wight Council is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, an island in the south of England. It is currently made up of 39 seats. Since the 2021 election, there has been an 'Alliance' coalition administration of Independents, ...

. East Cowes is the site of

Norris Castle Norris Castle is located on the Isle of Wight. It was designed by James Wyatt for Lord Henry Seymour (politician), Lord Henry Seymour. The estate adjoins Osborne House, country home to Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria. On the othe ...

, and

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in t ...

, the former summer residence of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and Prince Albert. The Prince had a major influence on the architecture of the area, for example on the building of St Mildred's Church in nearby

Whippingham Whippingham is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. The population of the Civil Parish at the 2011 Census was 787. It is located south of East Cowes in the north of the Island. Whippingham is best known for its connections with Qu ...

, which features distinctive turrets imitating those found on a German castle.

History

The name ''Estcowe'' (East Cowes) originally comes from one of two sandbanks each side of the

estuary, so-called after a supposed likeness to

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

. The name was subsequently transferred to fortifications built during the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

on the east bank (

East Cowes Castle East Cowes Castle, located in East Cowes, was the home of architect John Nash between its completion and his death in 1835. Nash himself was the designer of the site, and began construction as early as 1798. It was completed in 1800 and was ...

) to dispel a French invasion, referred to as cowforts or cowes, which subsequently gave the name to the town. The naming of

was done in a similar fashion. They replaced the earlier name of Shamblord. The settlement of ''Shamblord'' at East Cowes was first recorded in 1303. It grew as East Shamblord, and became a much more significant settlement than the Western Shamblord. As the Isle of Wight was the target of frequent French invasions, with some notable incursions, the fort built at East Cowes was later destroyed and should not be confused with the "East Cowes Castle" built subsequently by John Nash. During the reign of Queen Victoria, who made her summer home at Osborne by acquiring and rebuilding Osborne House, East Cowes was the subject of planned estate of grand houses, groves and parks. The scheme, not finding the finances it needed, was folded, but a few residences built in the early stages still survive to this day such as the former ''Albert Grove'' residences of ''Kent House'' and ''Powys House'' on York Avenue. In East Cowes

was designed in the Norman style by

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

in the late eighteenth century. The building survives and today remains a private home. In 1798, the architect John Nash, began building his home,

, where he later entertained the Prince Consort and other prominent guests. East Cowes Castle was notable for its

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

towers and turrets, and elaborate castellation. Nash died in 1835 and is buried in the tower of St James' Church which he also designed. East Cowes Castle was severely damaged by bombing in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

It was demolished during the 1960s, although the ice house remains and is visible in Sylvan Avenue. East Cowes Urban District Council, which had been based at

East Cowes Town Hall East Cowes Town Hall is a municipal building in York Avenue, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of East Cowes Town Council, is a locally listed building. History Following significant population growth ...

, was absorbed into Cowes Urban District Council in 1933. During

, both Cowes and East Cowes became the targets of frequent bombing due to its industry and proximity to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and the Royal Navy's home at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. The shipyard of

J. Samuel White J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White (1838–1915). It came to prominence during the Victorian era. During the 20th century it built destroyers and other naval craft for both the ...

was badly damaged by air attack in early May 1942 but, when rebuilt, innovative ship construction methods had been introduced. The first warship completed by the renewed yard was HMS ''Cavalier''. During the air raid, the local defences had been fortuitously augmented by the Polish destroyer ''Blyskawica'' (itself built by White's), which put up such a determined defence that, in 2002, the crew's courage was honoured by a local commemoration lasting several days to mark the 60th anniversary of the event. Later in 2004, and over to the west, an area of Cowes was named Francki Place in honour of the ship's commander. To celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Queen's

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

in 1977, the main hangar doors of what was then the British Hovercraft Corporation (a successor to

Saunders Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. History The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a ...

) were painted with the world's largest image of the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

, which can still be seen today. In January 2015, the

car carrier Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or usin ...

bound for

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, ran aground on Bramble Bank after developing a heavy list, roughly north of the entrance to the River Medina. It has since been re-floated, repaired, and returned to service.

Transport

Car ferry, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK

East Cowes is linked to the mainland by

Red Funnel Red Funnel, the trading name of the Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited,Cowes Floating Bridge The Cowes Floating Bridge is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the River Medina on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. The ferry crosses the tidal river from East Cowes to Cowes. The first floating bridge between the two tow ...

links East Cowes with

throughout the day. It is a chain ferry, and is one of the few remaining not to be replaced by a physical bridge.

Southern Vectis Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway (Great Britain), Southern Railway b ...

operate bus route 4 linking the town with

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

and bus routes route 5 and 25 linking the town with Newport including intermediate villages. The

Isle of Wight Coastal Path The Isle of Wight Coastal Path (or Coastal Footpath) is a circular long-distance footpath of 70 miles (113 km) around the Isle of Wight, UK. It follows public footpaths and minor lanes, with some sections along roads. Route The pa ...

runs through East Cowes.

Industry

Local industry in both Cowes and East Cowes has always centred on the building and design of marine craft and materials associated with boatmaking, including the early

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

s, and sailmaking. East Cowes was also once home to the aircraft manufacturer

, who built the large, advanced, flying boat The

Saunders-Roe Princess The Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess was a British flying boat aircraft developed and built by Saunders-Roe at their Cowes facility on the Isle of Wight. It has the distinction of being the largest all-metal flying boat to have ever been constructed. ...

, as well as the

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

rocket and the

Black Arrow Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final flig ...

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

carrier rocket A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, launch pads, supported by a missile launch contro ...

. They also developed and tested the first

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

, the SR.N1. The former Saunders-Roe factory at Venture Quays now produces wind turbines, which can be seen laid on the quay for shipping out. Due to local objections no wind turbines have been allowed to be erected on the Isle of Wight.

Sport and leisure

East Cowes has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

club East Cowes Victoria Athletic A.F.C., which plays at Beatrice Avenue. They are also home to FC Bayern Bru who play in the islands Leisure Leagues 6-a-side league at Beatrice Avenue. They won the league title in their inaugural season in the winter of 2013.

Famous residents

and Prince Albert * Princess Henry of Battenberg, later known as

Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom Princess Beatrice (Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore; 14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944), later Princess Henry of Battenberg, was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert. Beatrice ...

, who resided at Osborne Cottage. *

Seb Clover Sebastian Clover, more commonly known as Seb Clover (born 15 January 1987), is a former English record-breaking sailor and paramedic. Clover is a former young adventurer from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, who, at the age of 15 years a ...

(born 1987) – in 2003, Clover set the world record as the youngest cross-Atlantic solo yachtsman, and lived in East Cowes * Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, lived at White Cottage. *Sir George Shedden * Roscow George Shedden - Colonial bishop of Nassau * John Nash – architect *

John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, (10 July 1886 – 31 March 1946) was a senior British Army officer. As a young officer during the First World War, he was decorated with the Victoria Cross for his actio ...

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and commander of the British Expeditionary Force *

Lord Mountbatten of Burma Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...

(in childhood), later last

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at Kent House, East Cowes

Redevelopment Project

The East Cowes Redevelopment Project was set up by SEEDA https://www.iow.gov.uk/azservices/documents/2780-41-08%20Appendix%20A.pdf for the flagship project for the Cowes Waterfront Initiate, which includes redeveloping the town centre of East Cowes. It was intended that such changes would create better employment opportunities and a better environment for residents and visitors alike, providing a unique opportunity to improve East Cowes and create better investment for businesses. On 6 April 2010, work started on the new

Waitrose Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...

store on Well Road on the old site of the hovercraft development building. Recruitment for jobs for the new

Store started during August/September 2010; there were 160 jobs available throughout the store and over 800 people applied. Part of the redevelopment also included the building of more houses known as "Victoria Walk" and David Wilson was chosen to be the builder. Advertising boards were placed on Old Road in East Cowes with building work commencing soon after. In 2013, work began to create a new 300 berth marina inside a new breakwater. The plan included a new hotel, restaurant and 100 new homes. During August 2012, a new Medical Centre opened at Church Path, near

. The former Medical Centre at Down House (the former home of respected local GP Dr Down), on York Avenue, was closed.Island Pulse: New medical centre to open in East Cowes

Library

During December 2010, under a cost-cutting plan by the Isle of Wight Council it was decided most local libraries across the Island would close in March 2011, with just Newport and Ryde remaining open. Sandown, Cowes, Ventnor & Freshwater remained open until March 2012, during which time community groups were sought to continue the upkeep and running of the libraries. East Cowes was one of the libraries set to close in March 2011, but was saved by East Cowes Town Council who appealed for volunteers to continue running the library. It remains at the town centre premises near to the Co-op supermarket, with an outlook to move to newer premises in the near future. Whilst under the Isle of Wight Council ownership it opened around 30 hours a week; this was reduced to around 12 hours per week.

References

External links

J Samuel White's shipyard
- Maritime information on HMS Cavalier.
The East Cowes Heritage Centre
- Local history centre.

* ttp://www.cowes.shalfleet.net/index.htm East Cowes Tourist Information, Accommodation Guide and Photo's. {{authority control Towns on the Isle of Wight Ports and harbours of the Isle of Wight Civil parishes in the Isle of Wight