Group Projects
(October 2022)
Alfred Street Planters - Re-painting Church Gates - Shedden Fountain - Memory project - East Cowes walks - Plaques around East Cowes - The book of East Cowes - East Cowes heritage map
ALFRED STREET PLANTERS
One of our earlier projects was to offer the residents of Alfred Street a wall planter each (the street comprises of terraces of houses which are accessed directly off the pavement). Many took up the offer and a few still use their planters for floral displays.
Alfred Street baskets
Alfred Street
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RE-PAINTING CHURCH GATES
We were approached by the St. James' Churchwarden who asked if we could re-paint the railings around John Nash’s tomb which stands beside the church entrance.
The churchyard gates and its arch were also repainted. The lamp was repaired and reglazed, making a fitting entrance to this historic site.
Church gates
Church lamp
Nash railings
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SHEDDEN FOUNTAIN
The lamp on top of the fountain on the Esplanade fell during a storm in 2013. The Friends campaigned to have the lamp repaired. After several frustrating years of getting nowhere this was finally done in 2020.
Shedden Fountain missing top
Shedden Fountain repaired
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MEMORY PROJECT
A memory project “I Remember”, for local people to reminisce about living in East Cowes, is almost completed and will be kept at the East Cowes Heritage Centre for anyone to refer to.
topEAST COWES WALKS
Friend and East Coweser Peter Lloyd knew that his town had a lot of unadvertised history, and initially came up with a walking route around the “triangle” of roads constructed in the 1840s to enclose the planned East Cowes Botanic Gardens.
Peter’s idea was a series of heritage walks around the town. Realising that there was an Island-wide “Health Walks” scheme co-ordinated by the IOW NHS, we devised a project which combined both aspects: Health and Heritage. Big Lottery funding was offered for the project and the IW NHS helped by printing leaflets covering the three walks, with hand-drawn maps and further information about the Friends.
We were also able to design and purchase four bronze plaques to be erected to commemorate some of the notable East Cowes residents and events. Only one plaque, referring to Bell’s Landing on the Esplanade, is yet to be erected because of planning issues in the area.
East Cowes Walks leaflet
topPLAQUES AROUND EAST COWES
The plaques formed part of the East Cowes Walks project.
These include the workshop of Sir Christopher Cockerell in Cockerell Rise and the birthplace of Uffa Fox the boat designer in Osborne Road.
Another plaque, in Columbine Road, remembers an amusing incident in 1852 involving a local boy, Freddie Attrill and the young Prince of Wales on the beach at East Cowes and is accompanied by a sculpture by the late Glyn Roberts who was a member of the Friends of East Cowes.
Also a plaque noting an incident of ‘Furious driving in East Cowes’ in 1899 by the American inventor Henry House, which resulted in the issuing of the first speeding fine on the Isle of Wight.
Glyn’s sculpture, depicting a policeman with a stopwatch and House’s vehicle, was set in a stone along with the plaque. David Burdett and Peter Lloyd laboured to erect the stone, at the junction of York Avenue and New Barn Road, and on 4th June 2011 it was unveiled by incumbent High Sheriff Susie Sheldon.
GLYN ROBERTS was one of the founder members of the Friends and his good humour and enthusiasm were invaluable in setting up the organisation and obtaining Lottery funding for the cemetery project. When he moved back to the mainland to marry again we knew we had lost a very good friend. The speeding fine sculpture seemed like a farewell gift to the town and it was with great sadness that we learnt in early 2016 that Glyn had passed away.
Cockerell plaque
Shell plaque
Speeding fine plaque
Speeding fine plaque unvailing
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THE BOOK OF EAST COWES
Apart from Rosetta Brading’s two books chronicling events in the town from 1303 there had not been a comprehensive volume telling the story of East Cowes from all its various aspects. It seems that more than one person had been thinking along these lines, because when in 2008 Margaret Prior suggested to the Friends that this might be a project that they could undertake. Sarah Burdett (also of the Heritage Centre and Isle of Wight Society) suggested that she and Margaret work together to put together a book using the wealth of archived material amassed at the Centre. Ken Wheeler used his experience in print to help with the text styles and layout.
And so it was that, in 2011, the book, entitled “EAST COWES, A TOWN OF SHIPS, CASTLES, INDUSTRY AND INVENTION” was launched. It has sold well and is still available to buy at the East Cowes Heritage Centre.
East Cowes book
topEAST COWES HERITAGE MAP
The East Cowes Heritage Centre is collaborating with Dr Janet Owen by "Putting East Cowes on the map!" The Earth Museum takes photographs of artefacts owned or suggested by various museums and places them on a map of the area. Janet felt that East Cowes should be a trial place, and it has now live. If you could promote the link amongst your friends it would be great. theearthmuseum.co.uk/east-cowes-home-of-shipbuilders-and-royalty