Right bank, bypassing a couple of miles of the old river.
Desborough Island, between Cut and Old River
Millbrook Creek: Left bank on old river
Map: Desborough Cut Lower Bridge
Road entry onto island (exit via Upper Bridge)
Lower Desborough Cut Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
Map Desborough Cut Upper Bridge
Road exit from island, (entry via Lower Bridge)
Upper Desborough Cut Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
1934: Both bridges built
Ironically, I was advised that punters should avoid the
Desborough Cut because it has vertical banks and wash builds up badly.
I say 'ironically' because the cut is named after that same Lord Desborough
(W.H.Grenfell) who was the amateur punting champion who lived near Boulters –
and what he would say, to having the part of the Thames named after him denied to punters,
I shudder to think – for he was a forthright man.
William Henry Grenfell, Lord Desborough of Taplow
The Evening News: (on his election to Parliament)-
His broad, level brow beneath curling light hair, his straight, but not classic nose, his clear, far-seeing eyes, are typically English. His strong neck rises from a pair of broad, supple shoulders, and his arms are as massive as those of some hero of the classic sculptures.
1909: The Story of the Thames, J E Vincent [ It does feel good to grant somebody's "fond hope"! ] -
Of Lord Desborough to the present generation it is not necessary to say anything; but, in the fond hope that this volume may reach the eyes of some in years to come, it is added that to Lord Desborough, formerly Mr. W.H.Grenfell, Chairman of the Thames Conservancy for many years, perhaps the very finest oarsman, swimmer, and punter of his generation, to say nothing of his excellence in many other athletic pursuits, all users of the river Thames owe an immense debt of gratitude. He has been their champion and the river's friend also; and his championship has been the more effectual in that all men knew that no man understood better the needs of the river and of its frequenters.
Old Course, left bank, avoiding Desborough Cut
The old course is very lovely and, I think, navigable for most small boats.
Desborough Island -
South East quarter is Waterworks, reservoir and pumping station
North East quarter is Sports Ground with Clubhouse
South West is Sports Ground adjacent to waterworks
Remainder is rough field
Site of Halliford Bridge ???
1937: "The Thames and its Story" has the statement that -
"Halliford Bridge was washed away some years ago by the floods; and now, about half a mile
below Halliford, the Surrey and Middlesex shores are connected by a brick and iron structure
which is named Walton Bridge".
1885: "Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames" says
"An iron bridge connects the counties of Middlesex and Surrey at Halliford;
the old brick bridge, with its numerous arches, having succumbed some years ago in a disastrous flood."
Altogether I think (unless someone can correct me) that this is a confusion with Walton Bridge.
Map Gibbs Marina, left bank at the point furthest north on the old course
1996: The chandlery here was burnt down. There have been various planning applications. I am uncertain of the current position.
Sailing Club?, left bank above Gibbs Marina
Map: Shepperton Church, left bank
1885: Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames -
In the churchyard ... is that rarest of all black swans, a pretty and graceful epitaph, which well deserves quotation:
Long night succeeds thy little day,
O blighted blossom! Can it be
That this grey stone and grassy clay
Have closed our anxious care of thee?
The half-formed speech of artless thought
That spoke a mind beyond thy years;
The song, the dance, by nature taught;
The sunny smiles, the transient tears;
The symmetry of face and form,
The eye with light and life replete;
The little heart so fondly warm;
The voice so musically sweet.
These, lost to hope, in memory yet
Around the hearts that loved thee cling,
Shadowing with long and vain regret
The too fair promise of thy spring.
The grave is that of Margaret Love Peacock, a child of three years old, who died in 1826.
[ She was the daughter of the poet Thomas Love Peacock. ]
1889: Jerome K Jerome -
Halliford and Shepperton are both pretty little spots where they touch the river; but there is nothing remarkable about either of them. There is a tomb in Shepperton churchyard, however, with a poem on it, and I was nervous lest Harris should want to get out and fool round it. I saw him fix a longing eye on the landing-stage as we drew near it, so I managed, by an adroit movement, to jerk his cap into the water, and in the excitement of recovering that, and his indignation at my clumsiness, he forgot all about his beloved graves.
[ Jerome 0, Peacock 1 ]
1890: Shepperton, Francis Frith -
1890: Shepperton, Francis Frith
1890: Shepperton, backwater and Church, Francis Frith
From the Steam Boat Companion (1826) -
[Shepperton] The great delight of Wotton, of old, and of many others of the present day, who prefer quiet, the sweet air and patience in a punt, to the noise of the world, the quibbles of the law courts, and the deceptions of trade, and the Exchange.
1899: Shepperton River and Church, Francis Frith
1923: Ward Lock, The Thames -
Shepperton lies low, and at flood-time has to submit to water invasion.
The pretty backwater close to the church is called the Silent Pool.
Shepperton is hoary with age, though in springtime it blossoms and "utters joyous leaves"
with all the daintiness and charm of youth.
The village square, with the church, hostelries and houses, has a very old-world look.
Desborough Sailing Club
Left bank just above Shepperton Church
Whilst I slowly punted round the old course, racing canoeists
completed the entire circuit and took great delight in greeting me twice.
One of them cutting the corner nearly came to a nasty end by colliding with the
punt.
Map: Weybridge Sailing Club
Right bank just below D'Oyly Carte Island below Shepperton Lock
01932 349 646 or 01932 259 661
Map: D'Oyly Carte Island
D'Oyly Carte Island Bridge (private)
Downstream of Shepperton Lock, joined to right bank by a bridge
1887:
D'Oyly Carte (Opera Impressario) was boating on the Thames with his sons Lucas and Rupert when he first saw the island.
When it came on to the market, he bought it, together with a ¾ acre plot on the Weybridge side
of the river bank. He built a very grand country house with a footbridge.
He and his wife Helen used it as their country home.
1896: D'Oyly Carte decided to convert it into a hotel, no doubt as a country retreat
close to London for guests at his Savoy Hotel.
This plan was thwarted by the local magistrates, who refused to grant a licence to sell alcohol.
The building has been refurbished and converted into apartments.
1931: The Thames by C Fox-Smith -
D'Oyley[sic] Carte's Island, close to Shepperton Lock, is so named on account of the house built
there by the producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas - whose taste in architectural matters
was unfortunately not so good as his taste in music.
The island is a favourite place with anglers, where chub, perch, and pike may all be hoped for,
and there are generally a few patient punt-fishermen to be observed seated on their kitchen chairs
waiting for bites.
D'Oyly Carte Island & Bridge, 2006
D’Oyly Carte Island Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
Map: Shepperton Ferry
2006: One of the very few operating ferries. The right bank, south, has a bell to summon the ferry - to be rung on quarter hours only.
Shepperton Ferry Notice, 2006
Ferry prices (adult): Single £1.50; Single with bike £2; Return £2; Return with bike £3;
Weekly ticket £5; with bike £7.50
Ferry prices (child, under 16s):Single 75p; Single with bike £1; Return £1; Return with bike £1.50;
Weekly ticket £2.50; with bike £5
The ferry landing on the left bank just below Shepperton Lock
Shepperton Ferry, 2006
Map: Weybridge Slipway below lock
There is a good concrete slipway off Walton Lane where it meets Thames Street, Weybridge facing one of the weirs, on the right bank below Shepperton Lock and below the mouth of the River Wey. There is some limited parking. 01932 847453
Weybridge Slipway
[Photo in February 2006. A dry winter and the weir between Shepperton Lock Island
(to the right above), and Hamhaugh Island, is hardly running.
Beneath the "no fishing" sign (which makes a convenient place to stack his kit)
is a fisherman. ]
[ There are several islands here. They are not clearly marked on many maps. ]
Whittet's Ait, right bank
Named after Mr Whittet who owned it.
The island is now being developed for housing.
[ Sorry "Luxury Waterside Apartments"]
Some people will have some spectacular views of the weir and lock island.
Weybridge Ait, right bank
The island next to the lock on to the
Wey Navigation. Here is
Weybridge Rowing Club
River Wey.
Jerome K Jerome -
At Weybridge, the Wey (a pretty little stream, navigable for small boats up to Guildford, and one which I have always been making up my mind to explore, and never have), the Bourne, and the Basingstoke Canal all enter the Thames together.
Hamhaugh Island, right bank
The largest of the islands. To the south of it is the old loop of the
river which was bypassed by Shepperton Lock.
Cygnet Rowing Club
on Hamhaugh Island
Shepperton Lock Island.
Connected to Hamhaugh Island by a weir.
Upstream to SHEPPERTON LOCK
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS