Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 54

life

Cooks
Castle
ISLAND HISTORY

By Jan Toms

There was a time when
Sunday afternoons were
devoted to family outings.
Wherever you lived on the
Island there were certain
routes that were favourites,
as reliable as the beef, pork
or lamb that constituted the
traditional Sunday roast.
From Shanklin, replete
with Yorkshire pudding, the
locals often strolled through
the Landslip to Bonchurch
and Ventnor, or meandered
via Ninham to Apse Heath.
Occasionally they took the
train to Sandown then walked
to Borthwood and Alverstone
or went for a jaunt across
the Downs from behind St
Blasius Church, eventually
reaching Wroxall. If you
chose the Wroxall route a few
generations earlier it would
have been possible to take tea
on the way, at Cook’s Castle.
Perched in the lee of St
Martins’ Down, Cook’s Castle
certainly looked like a fortress.
Surrounded by stone walls
and sporting a high hexagonal
tower you could be forgiven for
expecting to come face to face
with a garrison but there the
resemblance ended.

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No one knows for certain
when it was built or what it
was really intended to be.
According to the Historic
Environment Action Plan
(HEAP), in 1774, Sir Richard
Worsley of Appuldurcombe
House erected the now
crumbled obelisk to his
ancestor Sir Robert and:
”At about the same time he
also erected Cook’s Castle, a
folly nearly two kilometres to
the East of Appuldurcombe
Park.” It certainly doubled
as an attractive landmark for
the house but it has also been
hinted that it was originally a
remote dwelling built by – or
at least inhabited by - a now
forgotten family named Cook.
That at least would explain the
name.
Whether it was ever lived in is
open to question. At one time
it was a substantial building
and in summer people were
present who, for a charge,
would allow visitors to ascend
the tower to enjoy the view
- and what a view. From the
top there was a panoramic
sweep to the west, and turning
the tables, Appuldurcombe
House, the Freemantle Gate
and the Worsley Monument
all provided interesting
landmarks to ponder. Follow
the eye to the east and fields
and woodland eventually gave
way to Shanklin, Sandown
and the white cliffs of Culver.
Having admired the landscape,

afternoon tea and hot water
could be provided on request.
One must wonder whether
water was available nearby –
a spring perhaps? If not, it
must have been brought up via
the bridle path by horse and
trap, along with all the other
requirements.
Adding to the authentic
feel of a castle, two cannon
guarded the gateway. They
were said to have come from
the Earl of Yarborough’s yacht
the Kestrel. The earl, Charles
Anderson Pelham had by
happy coincidence inherited
the Appuldurcombe estate
through his wife, Eleanor.
Although his family seat was
at Brocklesby in Lincolnshire,
he retained Appuldurcombe
as a convenient pied a terre to
indulge his passion for sailing.
In 1815 he was instrumental in
founding a prestigious yacht
club to which only the rich and
powerful were admitted. When
the Prince of Wales expressed
an interest, the epithet Royal
was added to the name. It
later evolved into the Royal
Yacht Squadron. Pelham died
appropriately at sea in 1846
and the cannon certainly make
a connection between the two
houses.
By the time George Brannon
produced an engraving of
Cook’s Castle in the 1840s it
was described as “an ancient
ruin,” while Black’s Guide to
the South East of England

in 1861 referred to it as “a
mimic ruin which overlooks
an extensive prospect.” At
the turn of the last century
there was still plenty of it left
as evinced by contemporary
photographs but by 1913,
in her “wanderings” around
the Island, Ethel C Hargrove
observed that it was “now a
shapeless ruin.”
Hence, Cooks’ C astle seems
to have declined of its own
volition, gradually crumbling
away. On August 18 1940,
a plane was brought down
near the spot. Perhaps the
impact shook the already
fragile remains, hastening their
demise. The stone was no
doubt too useful as building
material to be wasted and was
probably carted away for use
elsewhere.
Today, it is worth visiting
the spot where once the castle
surveyed the world. One can
still follow the route behind St
Blasius church, or take the V30
footpath from Wroxall skirting
the deep side of the Down.
Trees have long since obscured
much of the panorama but
there are still some pretty
breathtaking views. On a
plateau, sheltered from the
prevailing wind a stone cairn
nestles amid the nettles carved
with the legend “Site of Cook’s
Castle.” This alone bears
witness to the existence of this
once eccentric icon.

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