View Island was once a boatyard, but was made a public park in 1998.
Canoe pontoon. No dogs, no fishing.
An open air classroom with log seats is in the centre. There are various wooden scultures and seats with views of the river.

Riverworks Ltd has been undertaking an interesting conservation project on View Island in Reading. View Island is a natural open space with grassy paths and seating near to the weir at Caversham Lock. The work has been carried out in consultation with Reading Borough Council, the Environment Agency and has been designed and constructed by Riverworks Ltd. Funding for this project has been provided by Reading Borough Council, Heron Island Residents Association and Riverworks Ltd.
To enhance this area of natural beauty trees have been pollarded to extend their life and new pathways established. Riverworks have created two new reed beds using hazel faggots and pre established coir rolls planted with native wetland plants. The stream that runs through the island had become seriously silted up and has now been cleared. These areas will increase the attraction of aquatic plants, amphibians and invertebrates to View Island.
A new footbridge, constructed from Oak sourced from sustainable forests, was constructed by Riverworks on the upstream end of the island to allow people to enjoy a circular walk or cycle around the island with an exit through the pedestrian entrance by the footbridge from the Thames Path in Hills Meadow.

View Island is said to have once had a hotel.
This may be it, seen in 1890 -

View Island Hotel? 1890

And here is an aerial view (undated). Note how much wider the channel to the Heron Island mill was then -

View Island Aerial view, (undated)