Penton Hook Island
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Penton Hook Island is a mainly wooded former peninsula created into a series of three weir-divided islands 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, so created in river modifications since 1815 with a navigable lock and weir stream channel to form
meander cutoff A meander cutoff is a natural form of a cutting or cut in a river occurs when a pronounced meander (hook) in a river is breached by a flow that connects the two closest parts of the hook to form a new channel, a full loop. The steeper drop in grad ...
s. It has a lock and weirs that are the divide between the Laleham Reach, above
Chertsey Lock Chertsey Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, against the left bank, an area of Green Belt including Laleham Park, the largest public park in Spelthorne. It faces the town of Chertsey and is the fifth-lowest of the forty-four lock ...
and Staines Reach, above
Penton Hook Lock Penton Hook Lock is the sixth lowest lock of forty four on the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in England. It faces an island which was until its construction a pronounced meander (a hook) and is on the site of its seasonal cutoff. It i ...
.


Geographical features

At this point the natural course of 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 ...
forms naturally almost a complete loop, a hook shape of a peninsula which is attached to the towpath (here, northerly) bank in the form of walk-over, relatively wide, lock gates. The long hook or spit of land forms today a series of three weir-divided islands in the river, adjacent to
Penton Hook Lock Penton Hook Lock is the sixth lowest lock of forty four on the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in England. It faces an island which was until its construction a pronounced meander (a hook) and is on the site of its seasonal cutoff. It i ...
. It has been since at least the medieval period the southern extremity of
Staines upon Thames Staines-upon-Thames is a market town in northwest Surrey, England, around west of central London. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and Colne. Historically part of Middlesex, the town was transferred to ...
. Across the river it neighbours Penton Hook Marina, Penton Hook Yacht Club and riverside homes of
Thorpe, Surrey Thorpe is a village in Surrey, England, between Egham, Virginia Water and Chertsey. It is centred WSW of Charing Cross and its land adjoins the circle of the M25, near the M3 — its ward covers . Its traditional area with natural bou ...
, to the west and similar homes along Laleham Reach,
Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...
to the south and east, the latter being the most distant part of Chertsey from the town itself. In administrative geography the area forms the southern extreme of the ancient (and current as of 2015) ecclesiastical parish of Staines. Its low-lying periodic winter
flood-meadow A flood-meadow (or floodmeadow) is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding.Huhta, Ari‐Pekka, Rautio, Pasi (2014). Flood meadows in Finland - their development during the past century. ''Nordic Journal of B ...
status has deterred habitation. It is more robustly protected from initiatives to construct on greenfield sites by being part of the
Metropolitan Green Belt The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...
settled national planning policy.'Staines: Introduction'
A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3, ed. Susan Reynolds (London, 1962), pp. 13–18
The three sluice-controlled barrages allow control of the river at its highest by the construction of the large weir at the apex of the long loop and further weirs along the narrow north section. The uninhabited island in public ownership is fairly wooded and is used for nature conservation and appreciation. The west has a backwater dug out to provide a fish refuge when the stream is strong and a fish spawning stream constructed in 1999. The island has many paths laid out for viewing its trees, squirrels, nesting birds, fish and waterfowl. These particularly cater for angling; for the Thames two permits are issued by the
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
that can be bought online or in post offices.


History

The island was created when Penton Hook Lock was built, although before the lock was built in 1815, Thames waters would often flood across the neck of the "hook". The section of river has long been the subject of weirs for fishing and to improve boating for fishing and trade. The monks of
Chertsey Abbey Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey. It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time ...
understood they could use the re-doubling of the river on itself here to construct today's Abbey River, their
leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Other ...
(mill stream) from the Thames south of the Island past their Abbey in Chertsey before the Thames. This benefited 300 let farrens (parts) for horse and cow grazing on their bypassed flood meadow to the south, each at more than £1 per year each by the 19th century,
Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of water-meadow and former water-meadow between the River Thames and Abbey River in the far north of Chertsey in Surrey. Its uses are varied. Part is Laleham Golf Club. Semi-permanent park homes in the west forms reside ...
. The revenue contributed to a partial ownership dispute between Chertsey and Westminster Abbeys (owner of Laleham Manor) in 1278 — Westminster's almost adjacent built-up settlement ( manor) of Laleham was enlarged by four acres in return for repudiating all claims to the lower mead.'Spelthorne Hundred: Laleham'
A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3, ed. Susan Reynolds (London, 1962), pp. 13–18


References


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 ...
{{coord, 51, 24, 42, N, 0, 30, 07, W, region:GB-SRY_type:isle_scale:10000, display=title Islands of the River Thames Parks and open spaces in Surrey Uninhabited islands of England