The Thames from Hampton Court to Sunbury Lock

grand junction island

The island used to be called Purvis Eyot.

 

It’s now called Grand Junction Island after the Grand Junction Water Company who built a water intake on the island for the nearby reservoirs. They must have been an offshoot of the Grand Junction Canal Company, who built the canal from London to Birmingham. After merging with other companies in 1929 it became the Grand Union Canal.

 

The island is still owned by the successor company, Thames Water, but the water intake hasn’t been used for perhaps 50 years or more.

 

There are chalets on the island, but unlike Garrick’s Ait or Sunbury Court Island, they are not for permanent occupation—plus boat moorings.

Here’s an email from Neil Shimmield, who grew up in Sunbury and emigrated to the USA. He saw the website and wrote about his memories of the island...

 

These photos mean such a lot to me because they remind me of the happiest times with my grandfather. In my day the bridge was painted green. That's the only difference.

 

The Metropolitan Water Board used to rent out plots on Grand Junction Island to boat owners.

 

My grandfather, Bill Jones, who was a fitter at BP, got friendly with a couple of Jewish millionaire brothers from London, Sidney and Samuel Gee, who rented the two large central plots on the island. Their relationship lasted from the mid-’50s until the mid ’70s.

 

My grandfather would caretake and garden for them so that the place would look beautiful when they came down from London on the weekends, often entertaining business clients. They had a cabin cruiser in the ’50s, which they traded in for a slipper launch in the ’70s. Both were named the San Fernando.

 

Sid and Sam were wonderfully philanthropic gentlemen. They used to let me go down and use their facilities whenever they weren't there. My grandfather would visit the place every morning and evening. He'd fish for pike for half an hour before and after work. He was an excellent gardener. The lawn and floral displays were beautiful.

 

Over the years we built the little huts on the plots and the jetties. I would always help him. As he got older and became too fat to bend over, we'd go along the flower beds, him turning the earth with a spade, and me dropping in the bulb, or plant, and smoothing over the soil.

 

I fished mainly from the downstream end of the island, where there were lots of perch, bream, and roach. But it was not uncommon to catch ten pound pike. I once caught an 8lb barbel, fairly hooked, but on a lure while spinning for pike.

 

The water intakes were never used in as long as I can remember. There was a big rusted valve down at the bottom of one of those brick intake takes that looked as if it hadn't been used in decades.

 

I grew up on Elizabeth Gardens, but emigrated to Connecticut USA in 1981. But I've always loved the Thames.

 

In the ’70s I used to work as a summer hand on Sunbury Lock. My lock keeper was Eric Eade, whose son, Brian, has compiled a book of old photographs of the Thames.

Thanks, Neil.

If anyone else has memories of Grand Junction Island (or any of the other places featured on these pages) please email me.