Cowes Port Handbook 2014-2015 April 2014 | Page 63

COWES PORT HANDBOOK 2014 - 2015

House as one of its finest properties and no trip to the Island is complete
without a visit. Queen Victoria is reported to have said: “It is impossible to
imagine a prettier spot”, and indeed, the house and grounds of this royal
seaside palace are superb, with many rooms remaining just as they were
in Victoria’s day. See more about Osborne House on page 57.

Paul Wyeth

As well as being the modern day ‘home of world yachting’, the history of
Cowes is steeped in maritime heritage. Cowes has a long and illustrious
reputation as an industrial town that specialised firstly in boat building,
but which also diversified into aircraft technologies and manufacturing.
This combination of boat building and aviation technology ultimately led
to the town also being famous as the home of the hovercraft. The world’s
first practical hovercraft, designed by Sir Christopher Cockerell and built
by Saunders-Roe, first flew in Cowes on 11 June 1959.

INDOOR LUXURY,
OUTDOOR SPLENDOUR
& ROYAL PRIVATE LIVES
AT OSBORNE

Enjoy walks to explore the estate, gardens
and private beach and discover the house
Queen Victoria loved to call home.
EAST COWES

COWES.co.uk

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