Cowes and East Cowes — Neighbourhood Policing Team

East Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes. The two towns are connected by the Floating Bridge, a chain ferry operated by the Isle of Wight Council which runs continuously between the two towns. East Cowes is where you will find the magnificent Osborne House, former seaside holiday home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and preserved much as it was when the Queen died here in 1901. Nearby is St. Mildred's Church at Whippingham, where the royal family worshipped. Both buildings were designed by the Prince Consort. With the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the character of the town changed again to that of a working town proudly building for the sea. There were seven major shipyards with names such as J.S. Whites, Groves, and Guttridge and S.E. Saunders, East Cowes became the leader in new ideas and productions of technical excellence. Saunders Roe were taken over by British Hovercraft Cooperation and in turn by GKN Westland aerospace, the major employee. The list of technical achievements for East Cowes would include Bluebird, for Sir Malcolm Campbell and the world waterspeed record HMS Cavalier, for twenty years the fastest ship in the Royal Navy (the propeller is sited on the seafront) the first hovercraft the Princess, the largest flying boat in the world Black Knight rockets, the first hydrofoil work on Project Thrust 2 for the land speed record - the list could go on. The men and women of East Cowes are proud of their heritage and of their achievements. During World War II East Cowes became the target of bombing due to its industry and proximity to Southampton and Portsmouth. The shipyard of J Samuel White was badly damaged in an air attack in early May 1942. When rebuilt innovative ship construction methods had been introduced. During the air raid the local defences were supported by the Polish destroyer Blyskawica. The crews courage was honoured by a local commemoration in 2002 on the 60th anniversary of the attack. Wootton Bridge is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Wight, midway between Ryde and Newport. It is about 3 1/2 miles from each and within a short distance from the main ferry terminals of Fishbourne [Wightlink] and East Cowes [Red Funnel]. The village is located amidst beautiful countryside, some of which bears Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Site of Special Scientific Interest designations. The lovely Wootton Creek and Millpond provides a natural setting to the village, the Creek being popular with yachtsmen and boaters. The Millpond is home to herons, egrets and kingfishers, with the surrounding countryside having red squirrels