An idyllic home on the river – opera impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte bought this island just downstream from Shepperton Lock to build a country residence on it
Regular readers of this column will know that I’ve been following the progress of the restoration work being undertaken on the paddle steamer Medway Queen and I thought it was about time to post an update.
During the 1950s, the River Thames was officially branded a biologically ‘dead’ river. It suffered from all kinds of pollution – both from industrial waste and from sewage – that was being pumped into it. Little could survive in the water and anyone falling into it risked major infection.
Many thanks to my old chum Roger Jolly for taking over the tiller while I toddled off down the Thames on Terra Nova last week. I’ve escorted the old boy back to the ‘Laughing Ferret,’ bought him a pint, given his parrot a handful of grapes and he’ll be fine until the next time he’s called into action.
