East Cowes, Isle of Wight

Historical Description

Cowes, East, a town in Whippingham parish, Isle of Wight. It stands at the base of a wooded hill, on the right bank of the Medina river, opposite Cowes, is a coastguard station, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Cowes, a hotel, four landing-places, shipbuilding yards, a church, and Wesleyan Methodist, Congregational, and Bible Christian chapels. One of the landing-places is the Queen's private one for Osborne House. Population, 2380. A seamen's home was opened in 1894, and there are barracks for the Queen's guard. The town has been much improved of late years. East Cowes Park, to the south of the church, now contains some very pretty houses. East Cowes Castle, near the Park, is a showy Gothic mansion, built by Nash for his own use, now the seat of Lord Gort, and has some fine conservatories. A castle similar to that of Cowes formerly occupied the site of this edifice, and the two are described in Leland's verses as —ri The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar, This on the eastern, that the western shore, "Where Newport enters stately "Wight." Slatwoods, the birthplace of Dr Arnold, is adjacent, and the mansions of Spring Hill, Norris Castle, and Osborne House are a little to the east. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Winchester; value, £200. Patron, the Rector of Whippingham. The church is a plain stone building in the Norman style, and was enlarged in 1870. A recreation ground of 4 acres was presented to the town by Lord Gort in 1887.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for East Cowes from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Cowes, East)

Maps

Online maps of East Cowes are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Hampshire, 1530, 1575, & 1622-34 is available to view on the Heraldry page.