A literature search revealed that no scholarly work had been undertaken on the two ports of the Medina estuary: Cowes and Newport. Primary sources were used extensively to establish the sequence of waterfront development in both ports, enabling their spatial growth to be described and analysed. The methodology of historical geography was applied to port geography by creating reconstructions for five dates, using a synthesis of the horizontal cross-section method and the vertical theme method. This approach allowed development trends to become apparent. These were analysed using a process-to-form methodology. Models found in port geography were considered. By using the ports of the Medina estuary as a case study, the 'Port/Outport' model, devised by Pounds, was found to be applicable to the ports of Cowes and Newport. An investigation of the ports on the Fal, Medway and Orwell estuaries demonstrated that the Medina estuary was not unique, in that tidal-head 'ports', given certain circumstances, might continue to have a role for marine-related activities. The notion of the 'successful' port was postulated as a means of assessing these ports. The situation pertaining to the ports of the German Bight demonstrated further that the 'port/outport' model was not an outdated academic construct.