Welcome to the Freshwater Parish Council Website
Freshwater is situated in the west of the Isle of Wight, an island off the southern coast of England not far from
Southampton. Click here for a map.
The Parish originally consisted of five "tuns", or farms, Norton, Sutton, Easton, Weston and Middleton; these names are still in use, except
for Sutton, which has become Freshwater Bay or "Gate". The ancient Barrows on nearby Brook Down and the Saxon relics at All Saint's Church,
show a continuity of habitation in the area over many years. The Parish Council was established in 1894 following the introduction of the Local
Government Act.
The Parish is now a thriving rural community with a population of almost 5,400. The economy is mainly agricultural and tourism based with a
small number of manufacturing and service companies. The village has four banks and two Post Offices, one at Freshwater Bay and the other in
the large Co-Op. There are two small supermarkets and enough other businesses to make the village almost self-sufficient.