1. It was once believed that the name Cowes came from the two forts or 'cow castles' that Henry VIII built at the entrance of the Medina River. John Leland wrote in 1545: 'The two Great Cows that in loud thunder roar, This on the eastern that on the western shore.' Using stone from Quarr and Beaulieu abbeys, Henry's Master Mason.

The Eastern Cow did not survive very long, the Castle being demolished soon after it was built. All that remains of Henry VIII’s fort on the eastern side of the Medina is the name and the racing mark off Old Castle Point. To modernise The Royal Yacht Squadron ( West Cows Fort) Stone for this work from the demolition of the second East Cowes Castle built by John Nash.
 

2. Many people think the old bathing house at the end of esplanade is the fort, see image one which believed to be the bathing house of Norris Castle, however the exact location of the fort is thought to be further west and was probably built on shifting sands and thus was easily undermined by the sea. There is a suggestion that at the corner of Columbine plant and opposite the new superstore a part of the original wall of the castle still exists. Once it was abandoned the building stone is thought to have been spirited away stone by stone by the locals. 

The exact position of the castle is still a mystery, it is thought to be at the corner of Maresfield Road and Colombine Road near the East Cowes parade, the image attached is thought to show some of the stones of the old castle.