Cllr Karl Love shares this latest news from East Cowes. Ed
Our Royal Town welcomes home an artefact taken from the Princess Margaret Hovercraft. A large propeller and pylon is to be placed in our town as a monument to the inventor, Sir Christopher Cockerell, and the town’s fantastic innovative workforce.
We are bringing it home in partnership with the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-on-Solent, for it to be erected in recognition of the achievements and scientific innovations of our townspeople, workforce and contributions our people have made, and continue make to world transportation and marine industries.
Working hard behind the scenes
Lin Kemp has been working tirelessly to achieve this for our community and a 6.5 metre high propeller and pylon have been obtained.
I’ve been supporting this initiative alongside Lin Kemp for the past two years and secured funding from East Cowes Town Council, who are also very excited about this artefact becoming the town’s latest monument. Our town council will be the legal custodians for the propeller.
The propeller will bring a great sense pride and inspiration to our community and Island people. I hope it will be a beacon for creative inspiration, invention and imagination.
A fitting, long overdue tribute
Together our community and partners will build a fitting, long overdue tribute, where science and imagination come together and children gaze and imagine impossible dreams and think of solutions as our engineers and townspeople have always done.
We are taking possession of the propeller from the Hovercraft Museum on Wednesday (24th) when Lin and Chris Kemp, along with David Hill and myself will travel to Lee-on Solent to collect the artefact and bring it home.
Island Cranes will be helping us with transporting it home. The propeller will be stored at Wight Shipyard, with many thanks to Peter Morton, until it is placed in a permanent position.
TV feature
The propeller’s journey will be featured in a TV documentary about the work of the Hovercraft Museum and it will be erected in our town hopefully by next year.
East Cowes Town Council and myself are still working on its exact location with the support of IWC. We intend for the propeller to be placed in a suitable position along the East Cowes Esplanade.
Unveiling celebration next year
There will be a grand unveiling celebration for all our community to enjoy and participate. More information will follow about this and the unveiling is likely to be later this year or next spring.
Innovative town
The story of East Cowes and its engineering innovations, both past and present, are famed across the world and there are many stories yet to be told. Sir Christoper Cockerell the great British inventor that designed and built the Hovercraft, which today we see operating around the shores of our Island, will be honoured in this celebratory monument which will represent many different things to visitors and Island people.
Great achievements
East Cowes also boasts the invention and building of the world’s first liquid fuel car and speeding fine, flying boats, airship gondolas steam cars, rockets, the world’s first telephone call was made to Queen Victoria at Osborne house. It also built the Blue Bird and naval ships of all kinds. Today our town builds lifeboats, aluminium ships, oil recovery systems and advanced technology torque systems along with airline parts that circle the worlds sky.
These are some of the amazing big achievements for a small unassuming town such as ours.
The Hovercraft is a great world invention and something to celebrate and shout from the roof tops. Prince Albert, a champion of technology, would be very pleased with the many innovations that have come out of our town which HRH helped to shape.
Image: © Top Propeller photo by John Latter
