Ham Island is an inhabited man-made island of roughly 50 hectares (125 acres) 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 ...

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from ol ...

in England. It was a mature

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ba ...

of the Thames until a channel was dug, the New Cut, to build

Old Windsor Lock Old Windsor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England on the right bank beside Old Windsor, Berkshire. The lock marks the downstream end of the New Cut, a meander cutoff built in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners which created ...

which reduced the navigable distance by two thirds. The island contains 37 dwellings, a couple of which were abandoned during the 2014 flood.

History

The current island was a peninsula partly surrounded by a

of the Thames until 1822 when the

Thames Navigation Commissioners The Thames Navigation Commission managed the River Thames in southern England from 1751 to 1866. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries History The f ...

dug a channel of the river across the neck, the New Cut, to build

at its downstream end. At the upstream end a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

was constructed across the mainstream of the river, and at the downstream end of the cut the Old Windsor Lock also has a small weir. Accordingly, the distance in navigation was cut to around one third.

Inhabitation

The islands accommodates 37 privately owned dwellings. The original houses on the island, now almost entirely rebuilt in a more luxurious style, were quite modest - many were holiday homes. The island is also the site of a water treatment plant, well-screened from the homes, and the Blueacre Horse Rescue centre which had to be evacuated during the February 2014 flooding.

Literature

The island is referred to in '' Three Men in a Boat'' as, passing up through the lock at this point for the first time they note they can spy

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

in the distance. This trip is still facilitated with boat hire companies in riverside settlements such as Maidenhead,

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

and Staines.

Protection

Part of the island is included within the

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

, Kingsbury medieval palace and associated monuments. During the early months of 2014 the island was flooded, and many residents decided to leave their homes.Sky News 10 February 2014
/ref>

References

Bibliography

*''The Ham Island Cookery Collection'' (Ed Noble,S) 1998 Old Windsor, H.I.R.A *''Buildings of Old Windsor'' Gilson, M Old Windsor, M.F. Gilson, 1995

Gallery

Image:Ham Island P1010003.JPG, ''The Turning Circle'' Image:Ham Island P1010135.JPG, ''

Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltsh ...

's wastewater treatment works'' Image:Ham Island P1010137.JPG, ''Towards the Bridge'' {{End box Islands of the River Thames