This article lists the islands in the River Thames, in England. It excludes many of the smaller lock islands that were created when weirs and locks were built, and also some very small islands that immediately adjoin the larger ones. The Isle of Dogs and Isle of Grain are no longer islands although their names remain. Westminster used to be on an island called Thorney Island. Some other so-called islands are also now just promontories, often marked by a small ditch.
Most of the islands are natural, but a few were created by rerouting of the navigation channel. Many Thames islands are called "aits" or "eyots". Aits are usually longer thinner islands that have built up through an accumulation of silt.
List of islands
The islands are listed in order upstream from the sea.
Isle of SheppeyTwo Tree IslandCanvey IslandLower Horse IslandFrog Island, RainhamChiswick Eyot, ChiswickOliver's Island, KewBrentford Ait, BrentfordLot's Ait, BrentfordIsleworth Ait, IsleworthCorporation Island, RichmondGlover's Island, TwickenhamEel Pie Island, TwickenhamSwan Island, TwickenhamTrowlock Island, TeddingtonSteven's Eyot, Kingston upon ThamesRaven's Ait, Kingston upon Thames/SurbitonBoyle Farm Island, Thames DittonThames Ditton Island, Thames DittonAsh Island, East MoleseyTagg's Island, Hampton CourtGarrick's Ait, HamptonBenn's Island, HamptonPlatts Eyot, HamptonGrand Junction Isle, SunburySunbury Court Island, SunburyRivermead Island, SunburySunbury Lock Ait, Walton on ThamesWheatley's Ait, Lower Sunbury (also known as Wheatleys Eyot)Desborough Island, SheppertonD'Oyly Carte Island, WeybridgeLock Island, SheppertonHamhaugh Island, SheppertonPharaoh's Island, SheppertonPenton Hook Island, LalehamTruss's Island, ThorpeChurch Island, Staines-upon-ThamesHollyhock Island, Staines-upon-ThamesHolm Island, Staines-upon-ThamesThe Island, Hythe EndMagna Carta Island, RunnymedePats Croft Eyot, RunnymedeFriary Island, WraysburyFriday Island, Old WindsorHam Island, Old WindsorLion Island, Old WindsorSumptermead Ait, DatchetRomney Island, WindsorBlack Potts Ait, WindsorCutlers Ait, WindsorFirework Ait, WindsorDeadwater Ait, WindsorBaths Island, Eton WickBush Ait, WindsorQueen's Eyot, DorneyMonkey Island, BrayPigeonhill Eyot, BrayHeadpile Eyot, BrayGuards Club Island, Maidenhead (also known as Bucks Ait)Bridge Eyot, MaidenheadGrass Eyot, MaidenheadRay Mill Island, MaidenheadBoulter's Island, MaidenheadGlen Island, MaidenheadBavin's Gulls, Maidenhead (also known as Sloe Grove Islands)Formosa Island, CookhamGibraltar Islands, MarlowTemple Mill Island, HurleyFrog Mill Ait, HurleyBlack Boy Island, HurleyMagpie Island, MedmenhamTemple Island, Henley-on-ThamesRod Eyot, Henley-on-ThamesFerry Eyot, WargravePoplar Eyot, WargraveHandbuck Eyot, WargraveUnnamed Eyot, WargravePhillimore Island, ShiplakeThe Lynch, Lower ShiplakeHallsmead Ait, Lower ShiplakeBuck Ait, SonningSonning Eye, SonningSonning Hill island, SonningHeron Island, ReadingView Island, ReadingDe Bohun Island, ReadingFry's Island, Reading (also known as De Montfort Island)Pipers Island, ReadingSt Mary's Island, ReadingAppletree Eyot, TilehurstPoplar Island, TilehurstNag's Head Island, AbingdonAndersey Island, AbingdonLock Wood Island, Nuneham CourtenayFiddler's Elbow, Sandford-on-ThamesRose Isle, KenningtonOsney Island, OxfordFiddler's Island, OxfordIn the Oxford area the river splits into several streams across the floodplain, which create numerous islands. On the right bank a large island is created by Seacourt Stream, Botley Stream and Bulstake Stream, and there are smaller islands, including the island now known as Osney, created by streams between Bulstake Stream and the Thames, including Osney Ditch. The Oxford suburbs of Grandpont and New Hinksey are on an island created by Bulstake Stream, Hinksey Stream and Weirs Mill Stream. Iffley Meadows is an island west of Iffley Lock, between Weirs Mill Stream, Hinksey Stream and the Thames.
On the left bank Fiddler's Island and the island historically known as Osney lie between Castle Mill Stream and the Thames. Cripley Meadow is also on an island formed by Fiddler's Island Stream, Castle Mill Stream and Sheepwash Channel.
Lock islands
The construction of almost all locks on the Thames involved one or more artificial lock islands separating the lock from the weirs. These may have been created by building an artificial island in the river or by digging an artificial canal to contain the lock and turning the land between that and the river into an island. In many cases the lock island contains the lock keeper's house and can be accessed across the lock gates. Such lock islands are only listed above if they have a specific name of their own: all Thames locks are listed in Locks on the River Thames.
