Coles Yard and Slipway
COLES YARD AND SLIPWAY, ARCTIC ROAD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1271949
- Date first listed:
- 03-Nov-1993
- List Entry Name:
- Coles Yard and Slipway
- Statutory Address:
- COLES YARD AND SLIPWAY, ARCTIC ROAD
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1271949
- Date first listed:
- 03-Nov-1993
- List Entry Name:
- Coles Yard and Slipway
- Statutory Address 1:
- COLES YARD AND SLIPWAY, ARCTIC ROAD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- COLES YARD AND SLIPWAY, ARCTIC ROAD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Isle of Wight (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Cowes
- National Grid Reference:
- SZ4987494878
Details
This List Entry was subject to a Minor Amendment 06/01/2017
The following building shall be added to the list:-
COWES
SZ 49 SE
6/10000
ARCTIC ROAD
(East side)
Coles Yard and Slipway
(Formerly listed under Arctic Street)
II
Yacht building and fitting yard. Constructed by George Henry
Marvin in 1885. Comprises chimney, arch, which originally
contained the Pattern Shop, and slipway. Engine chimney of
stock brick, square in section about 50 feet high, tapering to
top with simple cap with modillion cornice. This is attached
to a stone segmental arch with stock brick voussoirs, the arch
filled in with weatherboarding with 2 C19 industrial windows
and unloading doors. Two lean-to weatherboarded structures are
attached, one of which is the winch house. The arch bears a
tablet inscribed GM 1885. The interior contains the original
1885 2.5hp beam engine driving a winding drum through a four
stage reduction gearing now adapted to run on compressed air.
The boiler has been moved and adapted to act as an air
reservoir chamber. Attached to the arch is the slipway
constructed of local stone blocks with 4 steps at each shore
end and flights of 13 steps two thirds of the way along ending
in a wooden pier each side with mainly chamfered concrete
supports. The floor of the dock is made of large concrete
slabs on which lie three railway tracks to support the
cradles. At the end of the C19 this was probably the single
largest yacht building and fitting enterprise in Britain, its
importance shown by its work on King George V's racing cutter
"Britannia".In World War I the slipway was used to convert
large yachts and pleasure boats into patrol boats. In World
War II Coles Yard was the base for Free French naval patrol
boats.
Listing NGR: SZ4987494878
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 452316
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 27-Jun-2026 at 07:04:10.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.