View Island is a small island near

Caversham Lock Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the ori ...

, on 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 ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

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 ...

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 ...

.Local Photos — View Island

Caversham.org.uk
. View Island forms part of a series of riverside open spaces, managed by

Reading Borough Council Reading Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Berkshire is purely a ceremonia ...

, that stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are

Thameside Promenade Thameside Promenade, or Thames Side Promenade, is a public park and promenade in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the south (Reading) side of the river, to the west of Caversham Bridge, and forms ...

Caversham Court Caversham Court is a public garden and was a mansion located on the north bank of the River Thames in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire (formerly in Oxfordshire). The park lies within the St Peter's conservation ...

, Christchurch Meadows,

Hills Meadow Hills Meadow is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the north ( Caversham) side of the river, to the east of Reading Bridge. It is linked to the south (Reading) bank by a footpath, locally ...

, View Island and King's Meadow. The island was a derelict

boatyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

when

took it over in 1998 and restored it. It is a quiet, relaxing island with grassy paths and seating. It is set out as a small park containing several wooden chain-saw carved

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, although all but one having rotted away. It connects to Caversham via Heron Island, which has private riverside housing and is connected by road to

Lower Caversham Lower Caversham is an area of the former town of Caversham, in the English county of Berkshire (formerly Oxfordshire). Today this is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading. Lower Caversham has no formal boundaries, but the name usually ...

. A body was found on View Island in February 2011. In 2021, the new

Reading Hydro Reading Hydro is a micro hydro, micro hydroelectric scheme in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, England. It is located on the River Thames, at the upstream end of View Island and using the head of water provided by the weir at Caversham Lock. With a ...

community owned hydro-electric power plant opened at the upstream end of the island. At the same time a new and more natural

fish pass A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movemen ...

stream was constructed, snaking through View Island.

References

External links

View IslandReading Forum
Islands of the River Thames Parks and open spaces in Reading, Berkshire {{Berkshire-geo-stub

See also

References

External links