Sunbury Lock Ait is the ait (island) in the

River Thames 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 ...

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 ...

adjacent to

Sunbury Lock Sunbury Lock is a lock complex of the River Thames in England near Walton-on-Thames in north-west Surrey, the third lowest of forty four on the non-tidal reaches. The complex adjoins the right, southern bank about downstream of the Weir H ...

between

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ...

, and

Sunbury-on-Thames Sunbury-on-Thames (or commonly Sunbury) is a suburban town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, centred southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other ...

, Surrey. It is unpopulated, but accessible by a footbridge over the lock cut from a wide section of the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

towpath on the southern bank as well as walkways on the lock gates. Thirdly, a walkway links to Wheatley's Ait upstream, across the weir, but this is closed to the public. The quite long, thin island is inaccessible from Sunbury-on-Thames where it faces a long section of public riverbank, a few private conservation area Victorian terraces with moorings and two pubs also with moorings. The lock island existed before the widening and deepening of the lock cut (navigation). It was for centuries known as "Sunbury Church Ait" until the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

purchased it from about six proprietors to build the lock, which was completed in 1815, although a flash weir had been in existence since at least the 18th century. The footbridge and old lock house are where the lock originally sat, upstream of the present locks. The Island has trees, ferns and brambles, the Middle Thames Yacht (motor boat) Club and a private boat mending yard.

References

External links

Sunbury Amateur Regatta websiteMiddle Thames Yacht Club
{{coord, 51, 24, 13, N, 00, 24, 35, W, region:GB-SRY_type:isle_scale:5000, display=title Islands of the River Thames Sunbury-on-Thames

See also

References

External links