Eyot House, D'Oyly Carte Island - geograph

D'Oyly Carte Island is a small private 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 R ...

, England, administratively and historically part of

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

, near its other inhabited islands and near part of Old Shepperton, on the reach above Sunbury Lock, 200 metres downstream from

Shepperton Lock Shepperton Lock is a lock on the River Thames, in England by the left bank at Shepperton, Surrey. It is across the river from Weybridge which is nearby linked by a passenger ferry. In 1813, the City of London Corporation built the pound lock ...

. Before 1890 the island was known as Folly Eyot. The impresario

Richard D'Oyly Carte Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

bought the island in about 1890 and built the 13-bedroom Eyot House on the property. His widow sold the island, and it was last sold in 2021.

Geography

The wooded island is 145 metres in length, and apart from its two points, 30 to 45 metres in width.Grid Reference Finder
distance tools It is from Charing Cross,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

is the

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and

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

. Elmbridge and

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

are the district and county-level local authorities.

Etymology

The island was called

Folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

Eyot until the eponymous owner bought it.

was the producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan

comic operas Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

from 1875 to 1896, founder of the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

and

Royal English Opera House The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. Its red- brick facade dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus behind a small plaza near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. The Pal ...

(now the Palace Theatre) in London, and a hotelier. He bought the island in about 1890, and it acquired his middle name and surname.Barrington, Rutland (1908)
''Rutland Barrington: A Record of 35 Years' Experience on the English Stage, By Himself''
p. 73.

History

Carte intended to use the island as a special secluded annex, accessible by boat, to his new

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August ...

, but a panel of local

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

s refused to grant him an alcoholic drinks licence for the property. Instead, Carte had a 13-bedroom mansion, Eyot House, built on the island, and it became one of his main residences.Pauling, Keith
"Richard D’Oyly Carte"
, ''Thames Pathway: Journal of a Walk Down the River Thames'', 2009, accessed 15 January 2019 Among the famous guests who stayed at the house were the dramatist

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

and the composer Arthur Sullivan. In later years, Carte displayed his macabre sense of humour by keeping a crocodile on the island. Carte died in 1901, and his widow

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

(1852–1913) sold the island early in the 20th century.Cornish, Natalie
"Private island in the Thames with Grade-II listed Victorian mansion for sale for £3.2m"
''

House Beautiful ''House Beautiful'' is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who began publishing it in 1934. It is the oldest still-publi ...

'', 1 July 2019 In the 1920s it was owned by Sir George May. It was later owned by Chinese businessman Chunlei Mi, the husband of Chinese TV presenter

Dong Qing Dong Qing (; born 17 November 1973) is a Chinese television host. From 2005 to 2017, she has hosted the annual CCTV New Year's Gala. She has won the Golden Mike Award's for Television in 2001 and 2006, and has received Golden Eagle Award for Be ...

. ''

'' reported that by 2019, the abandoned house had "lost the grandeur of its Victorian glory days". The mansion and island were sold in August 2021 for just over £3m. The purchaser, Andy Hill, is restoring the property and intends to hold events there including the production of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

Features

Eyot House has a large garden, which Carte and his wife helped to design, surrounded by trees. The house has 13 bedrooms, five bathrooms, four reception rooms, a ballroom and 1.9 acres (0.8 ha) of grounds. It incorporates fairytale elements on the facade, including gargoyle and crocodile carvings in the eaves. The property includes nearby land on the mainland with parking for more than 20 cars. A single-span footbridge built in 1964 provides access to the house. It consists of the high arch of a single steel box girder, with treads, brutalist railings and gates.''A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Borough of Elmbridge''
/ref> The island has moorings for small boats.
, ''World Marine Guide'', 2009, accessed 12 November 2012.

References

External links