About Thames Ditton Island
Three islands form a linear group by the riverside at the end of the historic main street of Thames Ditton, in the River Thames in Surrey, on the Kingston reach above Teddington Lock. Thames Ditton Island, the largest of the three, is 350yd long and has 47 homes with gardens (moorings). Boyle Farm Island has a single house and Swan Island, between the two, is the smallest. HistoryHenry VIII lived at Hampton Court long before there were any locks; these reached Teddington from upriver by 1810. The River Thames was then tidal and Kingston Bridge was the only bridge above Putney Bridge and below Chertsey Bridge. As there was no Hampton Court Bridge, a usual way to Hampton Court from the south-west of Surrey and thereabouts was by carriage or cart, northwards down Thames Ditton High Street, over what is now a public slipway where the river is wide, and at low tide straight through the ford to the other side. When the tide was in, ferrymen would charge a groat or two. Travelling from London to Hampton Court, instead of using Kingston Bridge the monarch would often be rowed up from Westminster to the palace. The last stretch of the river to the palace was a notably narrower, more twisting creek, especially at low tide at times of lower rainfall. To effect a grander arrival and alleviate flooding of the village, the river was dug out straight, thus leaving the islands separated from the grounds of Hampton Court on the north bank (in Middlesex). Before locks and weirs controlled the levels, Summer Road in Thames Ditton would flood at most high tides – its mud would not dry in the winter months, making it impassable, hence its name.
Thames Ditton Island Description
Three islands form a linear group by the riverside at the end of the historic main street of Thames Ditton, in the River Thames in Surrey, on the Kingston reach above Teddington Lock. Thames Ditton Island, the largest of the three, is 350yd long and has 47 homes with gardens (moorings). Boyle Farm Island has a single house and Swan Island, between the two, is the smallest. HistoryHenry VIII lived at Hampton Court long before there were any locks; these reached Teddington from upriver by 1810. The River Thames was then tidal and Kingston Bridge was the only bridge above Putney Bridge and below Chertsey Bridge. As there was no Hampton Court Bridge, a usual way to Hampton Court from the south-west of Surrey and thereabouts was by carriage or cart, northwards down Thames Ditton High Street, over what is now a public slipway where the river is wide, and at low tide straight through the ford to the other side. When the tide was in, ferrymen would charge a groat or two. Travelling from London to Hampton Court, instead of using Kingston Bridge the monarch would often be rowed up from Westminster to the palace. The last stretch of the river to the palace was a notably narrower, more twisting creek, especially at low tide at times of lower rainfall. To effect a grander arrival and alleviate flooding of the village, the river was dug out straight, thus leaving the islands separated from the grounds of Hampton Court on the north bank (in Middlesex). Before locks and weirs controlled the levels, Summer Road in Thames Ditton would flood at most high tides – its mud would not dry in the winter months, making it impassable, hence its name.