Islands in the River Thames

This article lists the islands in the River Thames, in England. It excludes many of the smaller lock islands that were created when weirs and locks were built, and also some very small islands that immediately adjoin the larger ones. The Isle of Dogs and Isle of Grain are no longer islands although their names remain. Westminster used to be on an island called Thorney Island. Some other so-called islands are also now just promontories, often marked by a small ditch.

Most of the islands are natural, but a few were created by rerouting of the navigation channel. Many Thames islands are called "aits" or "eyots". Aits are usually longer thinner islands that have built up through an accumulation of silt.

Contents

List of islands

The islands are listed in order upstream from the sea.

Oxford floodplain

In the Oxford area the river splits into several streams across the floodplain, which create numerous islands. On the right bank a large island is created by Seacourt Stream, Botley Stream and Bulstake Stream, and there are smaller islands, including the island now known as Osney, created by streams between Bulstake Stream and the Thames. The Oxford suburbs of Grandpont and New Hinksey are on an island created by Bulstake Stream, Hinksey Stream and Weirs Mill Stream. Iffley Meadows is an island west of Iffley Lock, between Weirs Mill Stream, Hinksey Stream and the Thames.

On the left bank Fiddler's Island and the island historically known as Osney lie between Castle Mill Stream and the Thames.

Lock islands

The construction of almost all locks on the Thames involved one or more artificial lock islands separating the lock from the weirs. These may have been created by building an artificial island in the river or by digging an artificial canal to contain the lock and turning the land between that and the river into an island. In many cases the lock island contains the lock keeper's house and can be accessed across the lock gates. Such lock islands are only listed above if they have a specific name of their own: all Thames locks are listed in Locks on the River Thames.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Hampton Sailing Club". http://www.hamptonsailingclub.com/club.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-09. "During 1962 the clubhouse was built on the piles at Benn’s Island."