Trowlock Island is a residential island in the River Thames upstream of Teddington Lock on the non-tidal

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

reach less than 10 metres from the northern bank, in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

, England.

Geography

Teddington Lock's Weir is a large structure on the same side of the river by Teddington Studios and the Lensbury Club, which is downstream.Grid reference Finder measurement tools
/ref> From the Thames Path crossing across the Lock in the north Ham is accessible.Ordnance Survey map, Hampton Wick and Teddington railway station">Teddington are and respectively by foot or road and therefore the centre of Hampton Wick is closer to the island than any other settlement. Trowlock Island contains 29 bungalows in plots as well as the Royal Canoe Club's clubhouse and gym. Trowlock Island is about a third of a mile (535 metres) long with a path down the middle and houses on either side. Beyond the last house is a lightly wooded area with moorings on both the main river and the backwater.

History

Like many islands in the Thames, the form of the island has changed over time, being shown as three separate islets on John Rocque's map of 1746. The name derives from '' Trow'', a type of barge averaging 50–60 tons. Harry Gibbs' boat building firm was located on the island in 1910.

Transport

Access is by way of a hand-wound

chain ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

Maintenance and facilities

Trowlock Island Limited manages the shared infrastructure of the island and its

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

is elected by the shareholders — each bungalow or plot of land carries with it a number of shares so that all houseowners plus the Royal Canoe Club collectively own the company. The Canoe Club has made a recent significant investment in providing new facilities for young people, including a new gym, boatsheds and training facility. Included in this re-development is a plan for encouraging bio-diversity, such as bats ( pipistrelle and Daubenton's bat being the species most likely to be found in the area), water fowl and rare species of cultivated plants. A short of a video of Trowlock island in summer, that takes a viewer around the island, is available.

Wildlife

The island, with surrounding water and banks of reach of the Thames are home to numerous species of wildlife; the following can be seen as nesting nearby:

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

Environment Agency station at Trowlock Island

Trowlock Island Community Site
Image:Trowlock Island iii.jpg Image:Trowlock Island v.jpg Image:Trowlock Island vi.jpg {{LB Richmond Islands of the River Thames Geography of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Islands of London