In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Northwood like this:
NORTHWOOD, a hamlet and a parish in the Isle of Wight. The hamlet lies adjacent to the Cowes and Newport railway, ½ a mile W of the Medina river, 1 mile N E of Parkhurst forest, and 2¼ S of West Cowes. The parish contains also the town of West Cowes, which has a post-office of the name of Cowes, Isle of Wight; contains likewise the hamlet of Gurnard, and part of Parkhurst prison. ...
Acres, 5, 122; of which 475 are water. Real property, £18,095; of which £600 are in gas-works. Pop. in 1851, 6,049; in 1861, 6, 534. Houses, 1, 217. Pop., exclusive of West Cowes, in 1851, 1, 263; in 1861, 1,052. Houses, 202. Northwood Park is the seat of G. H. Ward, Esq., author of the " Ideal of a Christian Church; " stands on the top of a hill, adjacent to West Cowes; is a large edifice, in the Italian style; and has a well-wooded demesne, enclosed by a lofty wall, with Doric entrance lodges. Egypt House and other residences are near the shore, between West Cowes and Gurnard bay. Vantage grounds, a little inland, command charming views. Gurnard bay, 1½ mile W ofwest Cowes, was the place where Charles II. landed in 1671, on occasion of his visit to Sir Robert Holmes at Yarmouth. A sea-port is said, by tradition, to have been anciently at Gurnard bay, and to have been destroyed by the inroads of the sea. A monastic house was founded at Northwood in 1512, but had a brief existence, and has left no remains. The living is a p. curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Carisbrooke, in the diocese of Winchester. The church is transition Norman, of plain appearance; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with small wooden belfry; and, prior to 1545, was a chapel of ease to Carisbrooke. Two other churches for separate chapelries, five dissenting chapels, and a Roman Catholic chapel are in West Cowes. Charities, £50.
Northwood through time
Northwood is now part of the Isle of Wight district. Click here for graphs and data of how the Isle of Wight has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Northwood itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Northwood, in The the Isle of Wight and Hampshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/5750
Date accessed: 18th April 2024
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