Glover’s Island (originally called Petersham Ait and also known as Clam Island) is a small island in a tree-lined section of the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

, known as Horse Reach on the tidal Thames, between

Richmond Lock Richmond Lock and Footbridge is a lock, rising and falling low-tide barrage integrating controlled sluices and pair of pedestrian bridges on the River Thames in southwest London, England, and is a Grade II* listed structure. It is the furthest ...

and

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first built in 1810. The limit of legal powe ...

in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Description

The tree-covered islet"Richmond Libraries’ Local Studies Collection"
/ref> has been precisely measured as above

mean high water springs A chart datum is the water surface serving as origin (or coordinate surface) of depths displayed on a nautical chart and for reporting and predicting tide heights. A chart datum is generally derived from some tidal phase, in which case it is ...

History

In 1872 the island, then called Petersham Ait, was bought by a Richmond-based waterman named Joseph Glover for £70 (); he later advertised it for resale in 1895. Clementine trees were planted on the island in 1897. Sir

John Whittaker Ellis Sir John Whittaker Ellis, 1st Baronet (25 January 1829 – 20 September 1912) was Lord Mayor of London for 1881–82, in which year he was made a baronet. Two years later he was elected and re-elected Conservative Party (UK), Conservative M ...

, Mayor of Richmond, had a house along the aristocratic row on the place with the highest, definitive Thames Arcadia view.''Arcadian Thames: The River Landscape from Hampton to Kew'' Mavis Batey, 2000 This is on the steep terrace of Richmond Hill above public pleasure gardens. Ellis declined to buy the island at £5,000 (), so suggested that the Richmond Corporation should be approached. The view itself had been painted by

John Wootton John Wootton (c.1686– 13 November 1764)Deuchar, S. (2003). "Wootton, John". Grove Art Online. was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator. Life Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire (near Stratfo ...

in about 1740 as ''A View From Richmond Hill. An English Arcadia''. The Amenities Committee considered the proposal on 2 April 1895 and decided –

"''That while the Committee think it desirable that the Island should be acquired for the Corporation if it could be obtained at a reasonable price, they are of the opinion that in view of the sum now named, it would be useless to enter into any negotiation for its purchase.''"

Trying again in 1898, Glover caused a furore by putting the islet up for auction and suggesting it could be sold to

Pears soap Pears Glycerin soap is a British brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807 by Andrew Pears, at a factory just off Oxford Street in London. It was the world's first mass-market translucent soap. Under the stewardship of advertising pioneer T ...

to erect a giant advertising hoarding. Glover used this threat to vex the corporation, offering it to them for £4,000 but although the corporation wanted to buy the island, it was felt that there was no justification in spending such a large sum of money out of its funds. There then followed a lengthy debate and correspondence in the local press about preserving the view from Richmond Hill and suggestions were made that the purchase should be funded jointly by public subscription and the corporation. By September, only £50 had been given to the public fund; disclosure of Glover's purchase at £70 did not help. The auction took place on 21 September but the highest bid was only £200. An unnamed resident had offered Glover £1,000 for the island (which he then intended to present to the corporation), but Glover refused to sell. In 1900 Max Waechter of Terrace House, Richmond Hill, bought it for £1,600 and conveyed it to the council having that body covenant, with intent to bind its successors, it was never to be developed. In September 1940, after

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

was bombed during

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

, a colony of

Humboldt penguins The Humboldt penguin (''Spheniscus humboldti'') is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos penguin. ...

were temporarily relocated to Glover's Island whilst repairs to the Penguin Pool were undertaken.

References

Sources

"Richmond Libraries’ Local Studies Collection"
{{LB Richmond Geography of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Islands of London Islands of the River Thames

Description

History

See also

References

Sources