Pharaoh's Island is an island in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, in Surrey,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, 270 m (300 yds) upstream of

Shepperton Lock Shepperton Lock is a lock on the River Thames, in England by the left bank at Shepperton, Surrey. It is across the river from Weybridge which is nearby linked by a passenger ferry. In 1813, the City of London Corporation built the pound lock ...

Overview

The island has a length of 280 m and a maximum width of 60 m. Shepperton Lock is 270 m downstream and two other channels leading to weirs diverge off after the island to its southeast. These channels then surround Lock Island and

Hamhaugh Island Hamhaugh Island is an island, historically known simply as Stadbury, in the River Thames in England south of Shepperton Lock, in Shepperton, Surrey. Position The island is at the southernmost point of the River Thames. The garden-lined souther ...

. The island is only accessible by boat, with the facilities of Lock Island downstream and moorings there or by the pub ''The Thames Court'' almost opposite its eastern tip on the nearer, north bank.

River level

Above the lock, the variation in river level has been between 0.08 m at the lock gate and 0.99 m. This compares favourably with variation below the lock at between 2.67 m and 4.95 m in depth.

History

It was purchased by the Treasury to give to

Admiral Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

after the Battle of the Nile (1798). He used it as a fishing retreat. The island was known as ''Dog Ait'' until at least the end of the 19th century. Tory MP and High Court Judge Sir Cyril Atkinson built the first house on the island in 1903 and named it ''Sphinx'' due to his interest in

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious p ...

Residential development

Since the late 20th century it has hosted 23 homes with individual moorings. Most of the properties have Egyptian names. The property names are, clockwise, starting in the west: As of May 2020, Sphinx has fetched the highest cost, £1.318 million. This took place in 2013.

Deaths in January 2011

In January 2011, a small dinghy ferrying people from the island capsized with the loss of two lives. The fatalities were named as university academic Dr

Rex Walford Rex Ashley Walford, (14 February 1934 – 2 January 2011) was a British scholar, educator, and former journalist, who in later life specialised in teaching others to teach geography. Education Walford was a strong supporter of lifelong learning ...

OBE, and record producer Keith Lowde.

Media representations

As the home of his family, the island was the setting for director John Boorman's two semi-autobiographical films: ''Hope and Glory'' in 1987 and ''Queen and Country'' in 2014.

Notable residents

Ian Hendry Ian Mackendrick Hendry (13 January 1931 – 24 December 1984) was a British actor. He worked on several British TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, including the lead in the first series of '' The Avengers'' and '' The Lotus Eaters'', and played ...

and his wife, fellow actor

Janet Munro Janet Munro (born Janet Neilson Horsburgh; 28 September 1934 – 6 December 1972) was a British actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the film ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' (1959) and received a BAFTA Film Awar ...

References

* {{coord, 51, 22, 57, N, 00, 27, 53, W, region:GB-SRY_type:isle_scale:5000, display=title Islands of the River Thames Horatio Nelson