“After two years of hard work from all involved our goal of being able to show off the museum’s collection of yachts and boats in such a historic and eclectic setting has been reached,
there is still much work to do so I hope you will all spread the word… the classic boat museum is back… so please come to our shed!”.
Mark McNeill – Museum Chairman
Mark McNeill, Chairman of the Museum
Over 50 yachts and boats from Cowes Classic Boat Museum have a new home in West Cowes in one of the historic boat sheds under the Hammerhead crane at the old Souter’s Yard site off Thetis Road in W Cowes.
The Boat Shed (117), as it has become known to the volunteers and helpers who have worked tirelessly to enable the museum to open this Summer, required extensive work to ensure it was water tight and safe for the public. The first stage is now complete and the ‘Shed’ is open to the public.
The move marks a new chaper in the fortunes of the well established and respected museum after it was given notice to vacate its East Cowes premises two and a half years ago. The Harrison Trust, owner of the Medina Village on the West side of the river, came to the rescue offering the museum temporary use of the old ship building sheds under the Hammer Head crane – it was a good solution but the sheds were not water tight and a lot of work was required to bring them up to a standard which would allow the public to safely visit.
Volunteers worked over the last 24 months together with supporting companies and the Council to enable the Isle of Wight to once again provide an attraction that tells the rich maritime story of the Island.
During Cowes Classic week (last week) the ‘Boat Shed’ as it will always now be known was opened for the first time and 275 competitors from the Classics were invited for a special party and prize giving to mark the occasion.
For now the East Cowes site remains open as well and contains many of the curios and smaller artefacts that make it such an interesting (and old school) type of museum to visit. The CB museum was founded in 1996 in Newport – upriver and there was always a wish to secure a decent West Cowes site for its boats… so hopefully this can be a permanent solution; it is easier to get to than the East Cowes site.
The museum has other good news, it has been successful in gaining Lottery Funding for a First World War Heritage exhibition due to open in October 2018. The Museum also became a destination for the Islands Hidden Heroes event which is still ongoing and the display can still be seen at the Museum gallery in East Cowes
Photos show the museum at a Cowes Classics prize giving last week.
More: www.classicboatmuseum.com
