Trowlock Island on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Trowlock Island is a residential island in the
Teddington Lock's Weir is a large structure on the same side of the river by
/ref> From the
__From_the_Teddington_riverside_by_the_island,_stations_of_
From the Teddington riverside by the island, stations of Hampton Wick railway station">Hampton Wick Hampton Wick, formerly a village, is a Thames-side area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and is contiguous with Teddington and Kingston upon Thames. It is buffered by Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of London from Hampton and ...
and Teddington railway station">Teddington
Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...
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.
Trowlock Island is a residential island 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 ...
upstream of Teddington Lock
Teddington Lock is a complex of three lock (water transport), locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham, London, Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first buil ...
on the non-tidal Kingston 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
Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1 and others. The complex also provide ...
and the Lensbury Club, which is downstream.Grid reference Finder measurement tools/ref> From the
Thames Path
The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...
crossing across the Lock in the north Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut of pork, cut that has been food preservation, preserved by wet or dry Curing (food preservation), curing, with or without smoking (cooking), smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. Lo ...
is accessible.Ordnance_Survey_map,_English_Heritage__From_the_Teddington_riverside_by_the_island,_stations_of_
Ordnance_Survey_map,_English_Heritage
__From_the_Teddington_riverside_by_the_island,_stations_of_Hampton_Wick_railway_station">Hampton_Wick_
Hampton_Wick,_formerly_a_village,_is_a_Thames-side_area_of_the_London_Borough_of_Richmond_upon_Thames,_and_is_contiguous_with_Teddington_and_Kingston_upon_Thames.__It_is__buffered_by_Bushy_Park,_one_of_the__Royal_Parks_of_London_from_Hampton_and_...
_and_Teddington_railway_station.html" "title="Hampton_Wick_railway_station.html" "title="English Heritage">Ordnance Survey map, English Heritage__From_the_Teddington_riverside_by_the_island,_stations_of_Hampton_Wick_railway_station">Hampton_Wick
From the Teddington riverside by the island, stations of Hampton Wick railway station">Hampton Wick Hampton Wick, formerly a village, is a Thames-side area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and is contiguous with Teddington and Kingston upon Thames. It is buffered by Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of London from Hampton and ...
History
Like many islands in the Thames, the form of the island has changed over time, being shown as three separate islets onJohn Rocque
John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746.
Life and career
Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...
's map of 1746. The name derives from ''Trow
A trow was a type of cargo boat found in the past on the rivers Severn and Wye in Great Britain and used to transport goods.
Features
The mast could be taken down so that the trow could go under bridges, such as the bridge at Worcester and ...
'', a type of barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
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 itsboard 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
''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian language, Italian word , meaning "bat" (from Latin "bird of evening, bat").
The size of the ge ...
and Daubenton's bat
Daubenton's bat or Daubenton's myotis (''Myotis daubentonii'') is a Eurasian bat with rather short ears. It ranges from Ireland to Japan (Hokkaido) and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.
This bat was first described in 181 ...
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 ;ReferencesSee 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 ...
External links
Environment Agency station at Trowlock Island
Trowlock Island Community Site