On the Thames, near Bisham in Berkshire, boats line the green, leafy banks of the river. There are two islands connected to the mainland: one with a cluster of houses and a private marina, and one connected to Temple lock and weir.
Between them, in the middle of the river, lies another, smaller island, roughly the size of a family home. And this could be yours for just £75,000. Finally: an affordable private island.
Temple Weir Island, as it is known, measures around 2,000 square feet, with a built-up mooring on one side and a tree-lined bank on the other. It is green, covered with trees and shrubs, and contains a pergola and a stone patio.
It is accessed, of course, by boat.
There are around 180 islands on the Thames, which occasionally come up for sale. Usually, though, they are attached to a house or an estate, like the “waterside haven” at nearby Marlow, listed for £4.95m earlier this year. “[Islands on their own] are a rare breed,” says Savills agent Richard Maby. “I don’t recall another that I’ve seen in a number of years.”
Temple Weir Island does not have electricity, water or drainage and development potential is “limited, if any”, says Maby. This means it is not possible to build on the island. “It is what it is.”
The island has been used as a private mooring by its current owners, who purchased it in 2010. This is how Maby anticipates that it will continue to be used by its buyer.
“In the absence of any planning, I can’t see it as anything other than that. It’s an extension of somebody’s garden. If they live elsewhere on the river, they can launch a little boat down there and go and spend the day on it,” he says.
“Somebody might use it recreationally and moor up during the day to have a picnic or a barbecue on it. That’s where the value is.”
Mooring a boat on the Thames is not cheap: a 12-month mooring at the Harleyford Marina, on the same stretch of the river, would cost £6,875 for a 12.5-metre boat.
Last year, Maby sold a 30-foot parcel of land on Lock Island in Marlow town centre at auction. “We had crazy bidding on that,” says Maby. “It was sold to somebody who just wanted a mooring to bring their boat into town.”
Temple Weir Island will be sold by a sealed bid process, in which interested buyers must submit offers to Savills before 12 noon on Friday 5 July.
The £75,000 is a “guide price”, but the island may sell for a “substantially different sum”. The bids will be reviewed by the sellers, who will make a decision based on price, timing and surety of the sale.
“We often do this process with properties that are less easy to value, and where they’ve got a broader audience,” Maby explains. “With a property like this, where you anticipate some competitive bidding, it makes it easier to manage constructively. It’s a fair way for everyone to have an equal shot at getting it…I’m intrigued to see where this one ends up, price wise.”
The owners, who live in London, are selling because they no longer use the island as much as they would like. For those with dreams of — but not the budget for — a private island, this could be the opportunity.
“There are two things that are special about this: one is the scarcity of this type of thing – they’re very, very rare on the market,” says Maby. “And the second is its position, situated between Marlow and Henley. There are fewer nicer parts of the Thames, and it’s just idyllic. It’s a magical part of the Thames Valley.”
