1888: "The naturalist on the Thames" by C J Cornish -
It has been said that Thames eyots always seem to have been put in place by a landscape gardener.
Chiswick Eyot is no exception to the rule.
It covers nearly four acres of ground, and lies like a long ship, parallel with the ancient terrace of Chiswick Mall,
from which it is separated by a deep, narrow stream, haunted by river-birds, and once a famous fishery.
A salmon, perhaps the last, was caught between the eyot and Putney in 1812,
though the rent of the fishery used to be paid in salmon,
when it was worked by the good Cavalier merchant, Sir Nicholas Crispe.
The close-time for the fishery was observed regularly at the beginning of the century,
the fishing commencing on January 1st, and ending on September 4th.
There are those who believe that with the increased purification of the Thames,
the next generation may perhaps throw a salmon-fly from Chiswick Eyot.
In the early summer of 1895 a fine porpoise appeared above the island.
At half-past eight it followed the ebb down the river, having "proved" the stream for forty miles from its mouth,
and being apparently well pleased with its condition.
At Putney it lingered, as might be expected of a Thames porpoise, opposite a public-house.
Two sportsmen went out in a boat to shoot it; instead, they hit some spectators on the bank.
Flowers abound on the eyot. The irises have all been taken, but what was the lowest clump,
opposite Syon House, has lost its pride of place, for now there are some by the Grove Park Estate below Kew Bridge.
The centre of the eyot is yellow with patches of marsh-marigold in the hot spring days.
Besides the marsh-marigolds there are masses of yellow camomile, comfrey, ragged robin, and tall yellow ranunculus,
growing on the muddy banks and on the sides of the little creeks among the willows,
and a vast number of composite flowers of which I do not know the names.
Common reeds are also increasing there, with big water-docks,
and on the edge of the cam-shedding of the lawn which fronts my house
some of the tallest giant hemlocks which I have ever seen, have suddenly appeared.
I notice that in Papworth's views of London, published in 1816,
arrowhead is seen growing at the foot of the Duke of Buckingham's water-gate,
which is now embedded at the back of the embankment gardens at Charing Cross.
There is still plenty of it opposite Hammersmith Mall, half a mile below Chiswick Eyot.
The reach opposite and including the eyot is the sole piece of the natural London river which remains interesting,
and largely unspoilt. I trust that if urban improvers ever want to embank the "Mall" or the eyot,
public opinion will see its way to keeping this unique bit of the London river as it is.
Already there have been proposals for a tram-line running all the length of the Mall,
either at the front or behind it.
The island belongs to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
There is a certain sense of the country about the eyot, because it is rated as agricultural land,
though its lower end is inside the London boundary.
The agriculture pursued on it is the growing of osiers.
These, frequently inundated by high tides, and left dry when the ebb begins, are some of the finest on the Thames.
At the present moment (January 5, 1902) they are being cut and stacked in bundles.
In the spring the grass grows almost as fast between the stumps as do the willow shoots.
This is cut by men who make it part of the year's business to sell to the owners of the small dealers' carts and to costers.
Formerly, when cows were kept in London, it was cut for their use.
During the year of the Great Exhibition milk was very scarce,
and this grass, which was excellent for the stable-fed cows, fetched great prices.
In the summer the willows, full of leaf, and exactly appropriate to the flat lacustrine outline of the eyot and the reach,
are full of birds, though the reed-warbler does not always return.
He was absent last year. He is locally supposed to begin his song with the words "Chiswick Eyot! Chiswick Eyot!"
which indeed he does pretty exactly.
Early on summer mornings I always see cuckoos hunting for a place to drop an egg.
In the summer of 1900 a young cuckoo was hatched from a sedge-warbler's nest,
and spent the rest of the summer in the gardens opposite this and the next houses.
All day long it wheezed and grumbled, and the little birds fed it.
In the evenings it used to practise flying, and at last flew off for good.
Upstream to Barnes Railway Bridge
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS