I seem to be on something of a roll here with articles about islands – but, hey, there are loads of islands on our stretch of the Thames, so why not?
History
A Thameside calling: To live by the river
Living beside the water has always acted as a magnet – particularly for those who can afford to pay the premium for having a view out onto the river.
Rain, rain, go away…
I’m beginning to think that the water gods have got it in for me at the moment because every time I plan to take my boat out on the river, the fates conspire to stop me.
History of island with a ‘window on the Thames’
Reader Joan Tait of Chertsey Lane, Egham Hythe wrote to me recently asking about the history of Truss’s Island on the Surrey bank of the Thames just above Penton Hook Lock.
Testing times in floods of 1947
As I sit to write this column, it’s pouring with rain – but don’t let that detract from the fact that we’ve just come through one of the driest winters on record – and hosepipe bans are now in force across most of the southern United Kingdom.
Getting taste of island life
There are many islands on the River Thames, some containing luxurious waterside homes, some mere mounds of mud and sand that have the odd tree clinging precariously to life on their edges and some providing bases for water-related industries like boat-building.
Looking the part when on the river
As regular readers of this column will doubtless have gathered by now, I’m a keen student of the history of the Thames in these parts and I love reading accounts of life on the river from days gone by.
Lock keepers get backing from users
More than 100 people turned up to a meeting of the River Users’ Group, section eight (RUG8) at the Thames Motor Yacht Club at Hampton Court last Tuesday (November 1) and sent a clear message to the Environment Agency demanding a rethink on its proposals to freeze the recruitment of lock keepers and to rent out lock side houses left empty by retiring keepers.
Learning to swim in the River Thames
From Tumblin Bay Weir to Desborough Cut, readers relive their memories of splashing around in the river for fun or with classes of youngsters from schools in the area
Bridge paintings in festive card surprise
In the latest instalment of his regular feature, Mort Smith looks at the first two bridges that crossed the Thames at Walton, both of which had an unfortunate ending