Cowes Town

Isle of Wight

Old postcards are sometimes poorly produced and grainy, I've done my best to scan them. Please click thumbnails for full size picture. Dates are from the card or my estimate (where possible). Card manufacturers are shown when on the card.

Cowes Baring Road

 Northwood house

Baring Road, Cowes about 1905. View is from Castle 

Road near the junction with Castle Hill. (Stuart)

Northwood House, formerly part of the Ward estate, 

given to the (then) Cowes Council in 1929. There is 

now some debate as to its future.

Cowes Trinity Church

Cowes Watch House Lane

Holy Trinity Church dated 1903, it was consecrated in 

1832 as "a place of worship on Cowes foreshore for sailors 

and seafarers". (Kirk.)

View looking from the Parade up Watch House Lane. The Customs Watch House is in the left, and the Union Inn on the right. Postmarked 1911. (Debenham, Cowes)

Cowes High street

 Cowes High Street and War memorial

An undated, but certainly before the First World War, 

view of the High Street looking towards the Parade

A view in the opposite direction, undated but the 

war memorial was damaged in the Second World 

War and moved to Northwood House. (Sweetman)

Cowes pontoon

Cowes High Street and Fountain Inn 1939. (Sweetman.)

Cowes Town Quay (pontoon) arrival point for ferries from Southampton. (LL)

Cowes Catholic Church

Cowes Waterfront

St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, Cowes in Terminus Road, opposite to the site of the old station (now co-op). Built in 1796. (Lofthouse Crosby)

Cowes Town Waterfront from the air, St Mary's Church and Northwood

House may be seen top left, about 1950. (Thunder & Clayden.)

The Floating Bridge

West and East Cowes are divided by the River Medina. For many years a 'Floating Bridge' has joined them. This is actual a vessel(?) which hauls itself across the river using chains attached to each side.

cowes floating bridge

industrial cowes and the floating bridge

The Floating Bridge, card is dated 1905. (Peacock)

Cowes, the industrial port, probably from the 50's. At that time it built

large ships (note the naval vessel), but this is now limited to pleasure vessels and lifeboats. The crane is still there.(Frith)

Cowes floating bridge 1960

norris castle red funnel ferry leaving east cowes

A more recent view of the floating bridge, probably from the 1970's. (Photo Precision)

Described as 'Ferry leaving the harbour', but actually arriving it is 

probably the second Norris Castle which was in operation between

1947 and 1962. on it. It was later rebuilt as a roll on roll off ferry. (Frith)

Cowes Parade

East Cowes

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Postcard homepage

All postcards on this page are from my own collection.

23 November 2009