St. Mary's Church, Cowes

St Mary the Virgin Church stands in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, beside Northwood House on Church Road. The first building on the site appeared in 1657 during the Commonwealth. In 1811 Joseph Richards designed a new chancel for the church. John Nash added the west tower in 1816, notable for its Greek Revival style. Arthur Cates rebuilt the rest of the church in 1867, turning it into a Gothic Revival design. The church belongs to a single benefice with Holy Trinity Church in Cowes. Inside, a two-manual organ by Henry Willis & Sons remains in place. Its specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. The organ’s pipes and stops form a distinctive part of the interior. Visitors find a plain nave and aisles arranged around the organ. The west tower rises above the entrance, its Greek columns marking the 1816 addition. Gothic windows and stonework from the 1867 rebuild fill the rest of the building. The church sits quietly beside Northwood House, offering a calm space for reflection.