By a County Press reporter
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Cowes seafront in the 1950s. Picture courtesy of Cowes Heritage.
THE austerity of the post war years is the theme of the latest exhibition by Cowes Heritage, which will look at the town in the 1950s.
The choice was made in the wake of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday and subjects highlighted include weddings, ship and boat building, shops, carnivals, farms, schools, and the railway.
Opening the exhibition will be guest of honour, Patricia Hillier, who as a 14 year old in 1953 twice reigned as a local queen — the first occasion when crowned May Queen at Northwood House and the second when she attended a coronation street party.
The party was in St Mary's Road, Cowes, where Mrs Hiller, nee Bishop, lived at the time. She now lives in Greenways, Northwood.
The exhibition will be open daily, 10 am to 4 pm, from Saturday 20 October to Sunday 11 November, at the Cowes Regatta Centre, Bath Road, Cowes. Admission is free.
Coinciding with the exhibition, Cowes Heritage is launching its latest book. Called 'The History of Cowes Shops', it provides a fascinating photographic insight into the sort of shops that formerly operated in the town. It costs £10.