Fiddler's Island is an 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, s ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in England. It is situated south of

Port Meadow Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England. Overview The meadow is an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and according to legend has never bee ...

on the reach above

Osney Lock Osney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the Univers ...

. The north part of the island sits between the River Thames and the top end of

Castle Mill Stream Castle Mill Stream is a long Backwater (river), backwater of the River Thames in the west of Oxford, England. It has its own secondary backwater, known as the Wareham Stream, that is long. Course Castle Mill Stream The Castle Mill Stream l ...

, a Thames backwater. Fiddler's Island Stream flows to the east of the southern part of the island. To the south of the island, there is a short stretch of water known as the Sheepwash Channel linking back to the Castle Mill Stream and the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in southern central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to th ...

. The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from one of its sources 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 ...

runs the length of the complete island. At the northern end, the island has a row of trees along it. On the Castle Mill Stream side there is extensive mooring. The rainbow-shaped

Medley Footbridge Medley Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge across the River Thames near the village of Binsey in Oxford, England. It is also known as Rainbow Bridge, although there is another bridge of that name in the University Parks The Oxford Universit ...

crosses the main stream of the Thames to the west at the northern end and a flat iron

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

crosses Castle Mill Stream further south, linking it to

to the east. A small footbridge takes the Thames Path along the bank towards Osney Bridge. The northern part of Fiddler's Island is very thin. The southern part, connected by a footbridge, is wider. To the east is Cripley Meadow, largely consisting of allotments. Fiddler's Island was authorised for

public bathing Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

by the

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the local authority for the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Oxford has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974, Oxford has been a non-metropolitan district, wi ...

in 1852, probably the first place in Oxford to be approved by the council.

Gallery

File:FiddlersIsland01.JPG, The northern part of Fiddler's Island looking downstream from

File:Moorings on Fiddler's Island Stream - geograph.org.uk - 1760216.jpg, Moorings on Fiddler's Island in the

File:The Thames Path footbridge from Fiddler's Island - geograph.org.uk - 1760198.jpg, The Thames Path footbridge on Fiddler's Island, looking north File:Fiddler's Island - geograph.org.uk - 872832.jpg, Looking south across the Thames Path footbridge File:Bridge over Fiddler's Island Stream - geograph.org.uk - 1758528.jpg,

from

to Fiddler's Island File:Tank Bridge or footbridge behind narrow islands-linking footbridge, Binsey and Port Meadow - geograph.org.uk - 1758542.jpg, View looking north of the two footbridges at the northern end of Fiddler's Island, with Port Meadow on the right File:River Thames at Medley, Binsey - geograph.org.uk - 530958.jpg, View of the two footbridges with Medley Footbridge in the background in 1979 File:Fiddler's Island Bridge - April Snow 2008.jpg, Thames path footbridge on Fiddler's Island during early morning snow, April 2008

References

{{coord, 51.7635, -1.2799, type:isle_region:GB, display=title Islands of the River Thames Geography of Oxford

Gallery

See also

References