Firework Ait is an islet in the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in England on the reach above
Romney Lock
Romney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England near Windsor and Eton, about half a mile downstream of Windsor Bridge. It is on the Windsor side of the river next to a boatyard and adjoins Romney Island, a long strip-shaped ait in the mi ...
known as the
Windsor and Eton reach,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
. It is the smallest island on the Thames with an official map-published name.
Status
The island is the smallest on the Thames with an official map-published name and is in the middle of a widely separated series of three close to the Windsor (right) bank. It is approximately 100 metres above
Windsor Bridge.
[1000 square feet approximately. This patch of fewer than six trees is too small to be shown on most maps of the broad Windsor and Eton area.] The facing riverside road in restrictive sections as to motorized traffic provides a promenade and cycle way between the heart of the town centre, a leisure centre and adjoining Alexandra Gardens, a park.
History
An account from the 1840s of life at Eton hypothesises that
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...
when at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
* Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
* Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
in 1805 would have taken his
skiff
A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...
across to the "eyot which then served
for fireworks".
See also
*
Islands in the River Thames
This article lists the islands in the River Thames, or at the mouth of a tributary (marked †), in England. It excludes human-made islands built as part of the building of forty-five two-gate locks which each accompany a weir, and islets subordi ...
*
River island
References
{{coord , 51.4852, -0.6104, type:isle_region:GB, display=title
Islands of Berkshire
Islands of the River Thames
Windsor, Berkshire