Blog Post

Eel Pie Island Boatyards

Many hundreds of boatyards once existed along the tidal shores of the Thames between Wapping and Teddington Lock.

Today less than twenty remain along that same stretch of river. Nine of these are in the Borough of Richmond, including the Eel Pie Island sites which currently house four separate businesses, Eel Pie Island Slipways, Eel Pie Boatyard, Phoenix Wharf Slipway and Cruisemaster Marine.

Once described by Horace Walpole as ‘A seaport in miniature, enlivened by a navigation of boats and barges’, Twickenham’s connection with the Thames has been reinforced by Eel Pie Island’s boatyards for well over a century.

The land now occupied by Eel Pie Island Slipways and Eel Pie Boatyard has been in continual boatyard use since 1892. The completion of Richmond Lock and Weir in 1894, maintaining a navigable level of water, even at low tide, helped make the island an ideal place for river-related services.

1892

William Sargeant establishes The Thames Electric & Steam Launch Company on the north-western riverside grounds of the Eel Pie Island Hotel, then owned by the famous Pears Soap family.

1893

Frederick Simms and Gottfried Daimler set up the Daimler Motor Syndicate. Newly invented petrol engines are trialled on the river before being permitted on roads. Simms went on to found the RAC.

1894

The completion of Richmond lock and weir allows a navigable depth of water to be retained upstream between high tides.

1895

Kirbey Bowen joins Sargeant, pioneering the building of electric launches and charging stations.

1896

Bowen buys the freehold for the boatyard land and business.

1904

The Ivy Castle site, overlooking Ham, is set up as a marina by the Auxiliary Motor Installation Co.

1907 – 1935

Joseph Mears (co-founder of Chelsea FC) buys the Twickenham facing site, running London’s largest fleet of around thirty passenger boats from Eel Pie Island. Some of his fleet can still be seen on the Thames today.

1945

Harold & Arthur Green set up Thames Launches Ltd, building boats for worldwide buyers and winning international awards for design and construction.

1950 – 2000

The Lion Boathouse site is managed by Sandy Scott, who also ran Hammerton’s Ferry until the late 1980’s. It is now fully residential.

1953

Frank Thornton-Glide offers motor boats for hire from the Ivy Castle site. They were nicknamed the ‘Yellow Perils’ by disgruntled river users!

1956

Walter Caisley, notable for his attempts to run a passenger service using hovercraft, joins Thames Launches.

1961 – 2005

Sims & Sims. World famous rowing sculls for Olympians and Oxford and Cambridge teams, as well as umpire’s launches are built on this site. It has since become Syd’s Quay office development.

1973 – 1983

Thames Launch Works & Impala Marine become Strong Marine, which for various reasons, including increased competition, declining demand and alleged unscrupulous business practices, went into receivership.

1975

The slipway on the Ivy Castle site is sold to Richmond Council. Leased to Cruisemaster Marine, it offers a small slipway and hard-standing for boat maintenance, overseen by master boat builder Dave Johnston.

1983

Eel Pie Island Slipways is established by Ted Leppard and Len Bowman.

1985

Henry Gastall sets up Eel Pie Marine Centre, providing DIY boat building and servicing facilities, as well as renting affordable spaces to artists and small businesses.

1996

A huge fire destroys much of the Marine Centre site, leaving around half of it in need of redevelopment.

1997 - present

The Montgomery-Smith family, and partners, set up Eel Pie Boatyard on the undamaged part of the site, running it in much the same way as it was pre-fire with artists studios in amongst the working yard.

2000 - present

Henry Harrison redevelops the fire site into Phoenix Wharf. Predominantly office space, it does have part of the original slipway still in use as a boat repair facility.

2003 - present

Eel Pie Island Slipways is managed by Waterman, Royal Bargemaster, Doggetts Coat winner and Olympic rower, Ken Dwan, providing essential servicing facilities for passenger boats and larger river craft. The Dwan family have worked on the Thames for over 500 years.

The story of the islands yards has been largely untold up until now. The Eel Pie Island Museum hopes to encourage an appreciation of the history and significance of Twickenham’s remaining boatyard sites.

‘So often I hear people enthusiastically telling stories of how the Rolling Stones played ‘over there’ as they point out the island to visitors. It would be great to hear them talk about the boatyards with similar pride. They are, after all, a defining part of Twickenham’s riverside.’

Michele Whitby

http://www.epislipways.co.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Dwan

https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/heritage-programme/the-worlds-oldest-boat-race/discover-the-history/

https://eelpieboatyard.co.uk/

http://www.digital-works.co.uk/news/boatyards/

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