Some who live on the island do not want to publicize their way of life whilst others are keen to let the world know about this incredible place, a time capsule of easy living. Brian Jones, the ill-fated member of the Rolling Stones, played in the garden of Sunrise and, earlier, the Eel Pie Island Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1971, was the scene of traditional jazz. Ivy Castle- Short slipway and small tidal dock Ham side of Eel Pie Island. Aquarius, a modern housing development, has been named in an attempt to recapture something of the island's past.Īpproached from the mainland by a footbridge, Eel Pie Island is the stuff of legend - rock legend. Eel Pie Slipways Ltd- 2 slipways for craft of 50-120ft for maintenance and. My last visit was in '58 and the hotel still stood, although very delapidated.Those living and working on Eel Pie Island, on the Thames in Twickenham (in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames), are a mixture of professionals, artisans and artists.Īn eclectic collection of buildings ranging from the "Love Shack" and highly individualised homes vie with contemporary architecture. River-side Twickenham has some fine old houses, St.Marys Church and The Barmy Arms close by the footbridge to Eel Pie Island, with its resident community. We managed to pull her out of the river and resuscitate her and take her to the town slip where an ambulance picked her up. One of the Rivercars was involved in rescuing a drowning woman who had evidently absconded from a care home and was attempting suicide from the shallow spit opposite the upstream end of the Island. P P i (O) (P) (Q) (R) Brentford Dock e020 Richmond Eel Pie Island Slipway. One day there was a very strong tide and we were both pushing and pulling the oars and still the tide took us downstream to the end of the island where we just managed to get ashore - very scary! If I was on the island before he arrived I would meet him at the town slipway and row him across in a dinghy. Eel Pie Records Doorgaan naar hoofdinhoud Eel Pie Island Museum: Amazing - See 58 traveler reviews, 32 candid photos, and great deals for Twickenham, UK. My uncle used to work for the MoD at Shell-mex house in London and commuted to and from Twickenham station. The island residents varied immensely from the arty-crafty types to a practicing solicitor. Mainly furnished with settees and armchairs which were very tatty. There was a stage at that end and to its left a small staircase leading into the hotel and bars. I recall the dancehall was facing the river on the right hand side of the hotel as you faced Ham Common across the main stream. I saw several up-and-coming trad bands there but my uncle left the Island before the rock era started. From A British King To Rock N Roll: The Slippery History Of Eel Pie Island. I recall one had to have a "passport" for the Jazz Club held in the hotel ballroom. Eel Pie Slipway, Twickenham St Margaret, Richmond, Fair Grounds, Pie. The hotel's owner, Michael Snapper, had the bridge built probably around 1957/8. Some occasionally fell in (I'm not sure if any drowned). It was like a big punt and quite unstable when overcrowded with the bearded masses. There was no bridge then, just a chain-ferry worked by a ferryman. It was the beatnick era and loads of them would arrive from the mainland on a Saturday night. There were two slipways, one in the dock and the other between the house and the hotel. The dock held quite a few houseboats and there was quite a friendly community of people in them. There was a handrail all round the roof and a small Gazebo in the centre. It was then a single story bungalow with a flat roof approached by stairs from the path to the front door facing the dock. The Chalet, built partly over the entrance to the dock, was quite old by the 50s (probably early C20th). Frank had two other sites at Kingston and Hampton Court. These were 4-seat open hire boats with a 2 cylinder piston engine driving a reversible pitch screw. My "uncle" Frank (Francis Thornton-Glide) owned a dock adjoining the hotel's upstream side and the hire business was called "Rivercars". Eel Pie Island in the mid-late '50s - John C Snelling Eel Pie homeĮel Pie Island in the mid-late 50s by John C Snelling
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