Cowes - Transport Links, History, Famous residents, Quotes and jokes

50°45N 1°18W, pop (2000e) 17 500. Town in the Isle of Wight, S England, UK; on R Medina estuary; a notable yachting centre; ferries and hydrofoil to Southampton; boat and hydrofoil building, radar, tourism; Osborne House (East Cowes), summer residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Cowes Castle, built by Henry VIII (1543), home of the Royal Yacht Squadron; Cowes Week (Aug).

Leland's nineteenth century verses, described the towns poetically as "The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar, This on the eastern, that the western shore".

Cowes is now renowned for sailing, Cowes Castle being home to the world famous Royal Yacht Squadron, which ranks amongst the world's elite yacht clubs. The town gives its name to the world's oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, which occurs in the first week of August.

East Cowes is home to Norris Castle, and Osborne House, the former summer residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Prince had a major influence on the building of St Mildred's Church in Whippingham, East Cowes, which features distinctive turrets imitating those found on a German castle.

Transport Links

Cowes and East Cowes are key gateway towns for the Isle of Wight. Travellers to Southampton are served by a high speed catamaran passenger ferry from "West" Cowes and a vehicle ferry from East Cowes. Visitors arriving at East Cowes find it hard not to notice the world's largest Union Jack on the hangar doors of the building used originally by Saunders Roe and then by successive marine and aerospace manufacturing companies.

History

There are two theories about the origin of the name:-

Cowes and East Cowes derive their names from the time of Henry VIII, when fortifications called cowforts or cowes were built on the east and west banks to dispel a French invasion. Cowes and West Cowes were named after two sandbanks, one on each side of the River Medina estuary, and recorded in 1413 as Estcowe and Westcowe, which were named after a supposed likeness to cows (animals). The west fort survives to this day, albeit without the original Tudor towers, as Cowes Castle but the east fort disappeared in the eighteenth century and should not be confused with East Cowes Castle built subsequently by John Nash.

It is believed that the building of an 80 ton, 60 man vessel called Rat O'Wight on the banks of the river Medina for the use of Queen Elizabeth I sowed the seed for Cowes to grow into a world renowned centre of boat-building. It was not until the reign of keen sailor George IV that the stage was set for the heyday of Cowes as 'The Yachting Capital of the World.' In 1826 the Royal Yacht Squadron organised a three-day regatta for the first time and the next year the king signified his approval of the event by presenting a cup to mark the occasion. This became known as Cowes Regatta and it soon grew into a four-day event that always ended with a fireworks display.

In Cowes the 18th century house of Westbourne was home to a collector of customs whose son, born there in 1795, lived to become Dr Thomas Arnold, headmaster of Rugby School.

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.

In East Cowes Norris Castle was designed in the Norman style by James Wyatt in the late eighteenth century. In 1798, the architect John Nash, began building his home, East Cowes Castle, where he later entertained the Prince Consort and other prominent guests. East Cowes Castle was notable for its Gothic towers and turrets, and elaborate castellation. Nash died in 1835 and is buried in the tower of East Cowes Church which he also designed. East Cowes Castle was demolished during the 1960s, although the ice house remains and is visible in Sylvan Avenue.

Local industry in both Cowes and East Cowes has always centred on the building and design of marine craft, including the early flying boats, and sailmaking. East Cowes was also once home to the manufacturer Saunders Roe, who built the flying boat The Saunders-Roe Princess, as well as the Black Knight rocket and the Black Arrow satellite carrier rocket.

West Cowes and East Cowes became a single urban district in 1933.

Although respected as being the home of yachting in the UK, Cowes suffers from a severe lack of useable public slipways. The nearest, most convenient slipways being in East Cowes or the port of Yarmouth on the West of the Island.

Famous residents

Dr Thomas Arnold - Headmaster of Rugby School Queen Victoria and Prince Albert John Nash (architect) Jeremy Irons - film actor and Oscar, and double-Emmy winner Lord Mountbatten of Burma (in childhood), later last Viceroy of India at Kent House, East Cowes Cliff Michelmore - BBC television and radio presenter/producer Mark King - guitarist and principal founder of the Pop Group Level 42 Albert Ketelbey - Composer, Conductor and Pianist

Quotes and jokes

The name of the town has led to many jests and puns over the years.