Hammerhead crane

Victorian Society welcomes funding for repairs to Cowes hammerhead crane

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This in from Joe on behalf of the Victorian Society, Ed


The funding will help ensure that Cowes’ industrial heritage is not lost and forgotten. The crane’s plight was highlighted by its inclusion in the Victorian Society’s list of the Top Ten Most Endangered Buildings in England and Wales 2014.

Industrial heritage
Shipbuilder J.S. White’s 80 ton hammerhead crane – installed to increase capacity for the production of naval warships – epitomises Cowes’ industrial past. The giant cantilever crane was built within the first decade of these cranes’ development and is the only remaining pre- WWI hammerhead crane in England.

Following the provision of funding from English Heritage the council now has appointed a specialist firm to carry out repairs to the crane in March 2015. The works are expected to take around 16 weeks to complete.

James Hughes, Victorian Society Conservation Advisor, said:

“This is excellent news for Cowes. Industrial structures such as Cowe’s hammerhead crane must be retained for us to fully understand our history. Isle of Wight Council should continue to work with the site’s owner, the Harrison Trust, to secure the crane’s long term future.”

Frank James Hospital
The Victorian Society remains concerned about another Isle of Wight building, the Frank James Hospital, which also previously featured on its list of Top Ten Most Endangered Buildings back in 2007.

Since then the former hospital has continued to decay. The Society hopes that the Council will act on the petition of nearly 3,000 signatures presented to it by the Friend of Frank James Hospital last year and finally serve an urgent works notice on the building’s owners.

Image: © With kind permission of Mike Vallender

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milly
7, January 2015 11:36 am

We need some funding for a new crane that can do some work and build some more new boats in Cowes.

Mike Vallender
7, January 2015 12:22 pm

Your comment is interesting milly and in some ways I agree with you but while this article and the news are both good, it was positive to read in the IWCP article that they will develop the site as a ‘ museum ‘ to Cowes shipbuilding history. That is also wonderful news as is the Frank James, but what we do not need is necessarily a museum.… Read more »

Steve Goodman
Reply to  Mike Vallender
7, January 2015 11:17 pm

Sadly still unable to report the ‘wonderful news’ needed for FJ (i.e. a wasted special building returned to use), but we’re still working on it.
(And still enjoying the view of the crane from the steps of FJ.) More FJ news to follow soon.

Tanja Rebel
7, January 2015 11:28 pm

Great news for this marvelous crane!

Will the Isle of Wight Council now finally issue an Urgent Works Notice on the owners of Frank James?

Mike Vallender
8, January 2015 6:27 am

Thanks Steve and Tanja for the hope and positivity being shown towards the FJ but please can someone give us a statement on the wider view of Cowes East and West. Northwood House is a listed building yet the Wards I believe had a great deal to do with the founding of the Red Funnel Service. The only remembrance and celebration of Hovercraft etc is a few… Read more »

Steve Goodman
Reply to  Mike Vallender
8, January 2015 11:36 am

Mike – the Isle of Wight Society, East Cowes Heritage Centre, are helpful, if you haven’t tried them already.

Mike Vallender
8, January 2015 12:02 pm

Thanks Steve but it is not about me, how do visitors no where to find information and experience, where do young people at school age get the information that will help shape their careers, where are the chances for the community to gain information and share it with others that might have an interest?