Gurnard Village
Gurnard is situated on the NW coast of the Island and is the neighbouring Parish to Cowes which, amongst other things, is World famous for its many years of sailing history.
It has been too long since the last census and so the statistics could well be out of date, but it is estimated that the Village population is of about 1700 souls, with there being a fair and healthy mix of age groups.
Much of the Parish extends to outside what is known here as the Unitary Development Envelope, and so growth in terms of residential development is strictly controlled and somewhat limited, with there currently being 926 Council Tax paying houses in the Parish (March 2005).
Entering the Village from the South, as though coming from Porchfield, you enter Rew Street, which has its fair share of farming communities and some lovely examples of where sensitive conversion work has been undertake. A fine example of this is The Old Barn, click on images to enlarge.
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which lies alongside Rew Street Pond
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and opposite Bramble Barn,
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which used to be part of Rew Street Farm.
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Continuing down Rew Street brings you into the Village “proper”, at Gurnard Marsh, crossing the River Luck where it flows into the Solent.
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This has, for many years now, been an area of the Village that is prone to flooding, with the main cause being water run-off into The Luck, causing it to flood. There are sluice gates under the Luck Bridge that drain this water away, but this is only possible each side of High Tide when the sluice gates are open. Work started in March 2004 to upgrade both the under-bridge drainage, as well as the bridge parapets. It is interesting to see the difference made to the appearance of the Luck Bridge now - there have been mixed comments as you can imagine! There are plans to invest to rectify this problem - go to http://www.coastalwight.gov.uk/projects2.html for details
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Another local attraction is the small fleet of local fishing boats moored by the bridge.
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Apart from the occasional incident of flooding this is probably one of the most attractive parts of the Village, especially in the Summer and many Dart Class boats race from this area. Most of the accommodation on the Marsh is of holiday chalet design, much of which has been upgraded and modified to modern standards whilst still maintaining much of its original character. There is a Restaurant on the Marsh, which is now called the Outlook Cafe/Bar, which has undergone considerable renovation and extension work for the past few years, and is in a beautiful situation with fantastic views over the water to the Mainland. The 1st picture was taken towards the end of the renovation programme, and the 2nd after opening in 2007
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The Coastal footpath has run across the Marsh for years now, but in 2002 it was undermined by the sea behind what was at the time the Starfish Restaurant, and there has been no funding available for its repair to date.
Continuing along Marsh Road, takes you into Solent View Road, which is aptly named as residents on the seaward side of the road have breathtaking views across the water, which just get better as you climb the hill!
At the top of Solent View Road, turning right takes you to the centre on the Village and turning left takes you down towards the Esplanade and the Village Green.
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This area is very popular with residents and tourists alike, and is well served by the Watersedge Restaurant on the beach with public conveniences opposite
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and the Woodvale Hotel at the top of the Green.
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The Esplanade continues on towards Cowes with intermittently placed oak seating overlooking the Solent sensitively set in to sea wall recess bays.
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Travelling back towards and past Solent View Road into Worsley Road brings you to the “hub” of the Village. On this road you will find the Gurnard Scouts & Guides Hut (Worsley Lane just off Worsley Road), the Gurnard Women’s Institute Hall, Gurnard Newsagents, the Londis Grocery supermarket, Gurnard Methodist Church, the Portland Inn and All Saints Anglican Church.
Towards the top end of Worsley Road there is a bus layby, which also houses the Parish Council noticeboard and a Village Map. There is also a Village Map on the Esplanade, as you enter the Village from the Cowes direction.
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There is 1 church in the Village:
All Saints Anglican Church
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The Village is served by Southern Vectis Omnibus Company, which provides public transport services from Gurnard to Cowes, Newport and beyond via the number 27 & 28 buses 7 days a week.
There are 3 schools in the Parish:
Gurnard Pre-School, which caters for the very young up to school age
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Gurnard Primary School, which caters for the 4/5 to 9 years olds
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And Solent Middle School, which takes children from Gurnard Primary School (and other schools) in the 9 to 13 year old range.
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See the Directory pages for a greater insight to the Village and its people.
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