In 1886 Northwood was described as a parish on the west bank of the Medina, and includes within its boundaries the town of West Cowes, in the liberty and rural deanery of West Medina, archdeaconry of the Isle of Wight and Winchester diocese, from 2.5 to 5 miles north of Newport. St. John the Baptist, the parish church of Northwood, which is situated about midway between Cowes and Newport, is a very ancient stone edifice, in the Early Norman style.