COWES seafront is full of fascinating historic buildings and the town has a rich yacht-building and sailing background.

Now is the perfect time to explore Cowes seafront with a leisurely stroll on a sunny summer's evening.

Scroll through our gallery of photos above to see more interesting buildings...

In the early 1800s, The Globe was a rough dockside pub and a law was passed banning sailors from bringing knives ashore.

The Royal London Yacht Club was founded in 1838 for sailing on the Thames, but as the river silted up, members started sailing on The Solent and the clubhouse was purchased in 1882.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The Royal Yacht Squadron and Holy Trinity Church from the sea, with Flying Fifteens in front, pictured during Cowes Week 2014.

Cowes Castle was built around 1540 and was later leased to the Royal Yacht Squadron. The RYS originated as a yacht club founded in 1815 in London by aristocrats such as the Earl of Yarborough.

Holy Trinity Church was completed in 1832. Known as the Yachtsmen’s Church, it features many plaques and memorials, including one to those who died in the 1979 Fastnet Race.

Now luxury apartments, Grantham House was a 19th century mansion built for Lord Grantham. It was bought in 1861 by George Robert Stephenson, nephew of George Stephenson — inventor of the Rocket — and was later a well-known hotel.

George Robert Stephenson gave £500 to enable the Board of Health to buy Prince’s Green, two acres of land on the seafront, in celebration of the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. He also purchased the Victorian water fountain on Prince's Green, which is Grade II-listed.

Isle of Wight County Press:

Who remembers the Umbrella Tree on Prince's Green? Sadly it was removed in 2014 because it was deemed unsafe.

Also now luxury apartments, Mornington Hall was built in the 1830s for the Countess of Mornington — her husband was a grandson of the Duke of Wellington.

Rosetta Cottage started life as the works office for one of the ropewalks. In 1873 Rosetta was rented for Cowes Week by Leonard Jerome, proprietor of the New York Times. Jenny, the eldest daughter, met Lord Randolph Churchill and they married in Paris in April 1874. Their son Winston was born in November that year.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The plaque on the pravement outside Rosetta Cottage, which tells of the meeting of Winston Churchill's parents.

Finally, Holmwood was built in 1870 for businessman Charles Maw. Later uses included a pre-war hotel and a nursing home in the 1940s. Since the mid-50s it has operated as a hotel again and was refurbished as the New Holmwood Hotel in 1990.

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