Platt's Eyot
| Platt's Eyot | |
 Port Hampton on Platt's Eyot |
|
  Platt's Eyot |
|
| OS grid reference | TQ133691 |
|---|---|
| – Charing Cross | 12.5 mi (20.1 km) ENE |
| London borough | Richmond |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAMPTON |
| Postcode district | TW12 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Twickenham |
| London Assembly | South West |
Coordinates: 51°24′35″N 0°22′18″W / 51.4098°N 0.3716°W
Platt's Eyot is an island on the River Thames at Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, on the reach between Molesey Lock and Sunbury Lock..
Geography
The island was a typical ait used for growing osiers but was also used for dumping spoil from excavation of the Stain Hill Reservoirs, creating the large hill on the island's western end. There is a suspension bridge connecting the island to Hampton. The entire island is listed within the River Thames site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, with the western end of the island being listed as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt. It is the westernmost island on the River Thames in Greater London.
History
The name of the island is derived from Platt of Molesey who used it for growing withers.[1]
Boatbuilding began on the island in 1868, when Thomas Tagg, who had been running a business since 1841 on Tagg's Island, 1 km downstream, expanded by building a boatyard and house on the eastern end of Platt's Eyot. In 1908 Thornycroft set up the Hampton Launch Works on the island. This boatbuilding works concentrated on cabin cruisers and speedboats, but also produced small naval craft - Coastal Motor Boats in the First World War and Motor Torpedo Boats, Motor Launches and landing craft in the Second World War. Thornycrofts closed its boatbuilding operation on Platt's Eyot when it was taken over by Vospers in the mid-1960s. In 1960 the island was bought by Port Hampton Ltd., which diversified the use of industrial space.
In 1941 the island was connected to the Hampton, Middlesex bank of the River Thames, by a suspension bridge assembled by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
The island was transferred from Esher Urban District in Surrey to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London on 1 April 1970,[2] using a provision of the London Government Act 1963.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.richmond.gov.uk/conarea58_a3_rgb.pdf
- ↑ The Greater London and Surrey Order, 1970
- ↑ http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/45021/pages/666
External links
| Next island upstream | River Thames | Next island downstream |
| Grand Junction Isle | Platt's Eyot | Benn's Ait |
