COWES HERITAGE and
COMMUNITY GROUP
Registered Charity: 1192247
External Links
ISLAND HISTORICAL ORGANISATIONS
The Isle of Wight History Centre is a comprehensive resource for news and links to the Island’s past, from prehistory to recent times, including new discoveries and established work.
A permanent exhibition displays the history of East Cowes since 1783, using 3D models of the town, other models, maps, photographs and text. There are temporary exhibitions looking at subjects in greater depth. There are extensive archives in over a hundred user-friendly files on over 80 subjects for visitors to access for research.
Isle of Wight Heritage Facebook Group
This group is for sharing Isle of Wight memories and old images.
Isle of Wight Family History Society
The Isle of Wight Family History Society is for all those who want to trace their ancestors. Members include people who live on the Isle of Wight but whose families came from elsewhere as well as those with Island ancestry who may live on the mainland or abroad.
Also referred to locally as Cowes Cemetery, Northwood Cemetery is situated right on Cowes’ boundary with the parish of Northwood; it is the last resting place of some 17,000 souls, the vast majority of which were residents of Cowes in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Ryde Social Heritage Group was formed by a small group of friends in 2002 and became a formally constituted group in 2005. RSHG exists to research, document and share information about the history of Ryde, including the development of the town, the people, their lives and deaths, businesses and entertainments.
Friends of Newport and Carisbrooke Cemeteries
The Friends of Newport and Carisbrooke Cemeteries was formed in 2017 and seeks to focus on the tasks that the Friends of Northwood Cemetery (see above) have tackled since 2008.
The Friends of East Cowes Cemetery group was set up as a community organisation in 2006, changing its name to Friends of East Cowes in 2007 on completion of the Lottery-funded Old Kingston Cemetery project.
Ventnor & District Local History Society
Ventnor & District Local History Society was established in 1980 to collect, record and preserve the history of the area. The Society raised funds to buy premises for the Ventnor Heritage Centre in 1987 providing space for a museum, exhibitions and displays – as well as housing its Archive and a Research Room.
Freshwater and Totland Archive Group
The Freshwater and Totland Archive Group was formed in 2010 and is based in the West Wight Heritage Centre in Avenue Road, Freshwater. The premises are to enable the group to have a proper base for the documents, pictures, books and other artefacts that it has acquired over the years.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS
The Isle of Wight Council is the Local Authority governing the Isle of Wight.
The Record Office preserves historical documents relating to the Isle of Wight and makes them available to the public for research. Its material spans the 12th-21st Centuries and includes records of parish churches, estates, families, businesses, schools and local government.
Cowes is served by 16 Town Councillors representing four wards: Cowes North; Cowes South; Cowes West; and Medina.
Northwood Parish Council was formed on 1st May 2008. It replaced the Northwood Village Management Committee which was disbanded on 31st March 2008.
Gurnard is situated on the north west coast of the Island and is the neighbouring parish to Cowes.