Temple Island (England)
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| Waters | Thames | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 33 ′ N , 0 ° 53 ′ W | |
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Temple Island is an island in the River Thames in England north of Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire . The island is upriver from Hambleden Lock and is part of Remenham in Berkshire . The island is at the starting point of the Henley Royal Regatta .
background
On the island there is a temple (a folly ) built by the English architect James Wyatt in 1771. It was intended as a fishing hut for nearby Fawley Court , a house that Wyatt also remodeled in the 1770s for its owner Sambrooke Freeman . Wyatt designed both the shape of the temple and its interior. He probably also designed the original furniture. The murals in the main room are probably the oldest surviving examples of the Etruscan style in Britain , older than the well-known examples in Osterley Park by Robert Adam .
In the 19th century the island came into the possession of the Mackenzie family. In 1952, on the death of Roderick Mackenzie, the Henley Royal Regatta asked his daughter Margaret for a right of first refusal should she ever sell the island. It is not clear whether an agreement has been reached on this. In the early 1980s, the advent of corporate celebrations increased the island's value considerably. In 1983 the Margaret Mackenzie regatta stewards began making offers to buy, but in 1986 the island was put up for free sale.
With the help of a donation of £ 515,000 from Alan Burrough (a steward of the regatta) and his wife Rosie, the regatta was able to acquire a 999 year lease for the island and the Temple in December 1987. This was followed by restoration work on the temple and on the island.
The downstream end of the island has been converted into a nature reserve and planted with numerous trees.
The Victorian balcony at the temple has been replaced. The murals, which had been poorly repaired, were restored to the original colors Wyatt intended. The statuette of a nymph was set up based on the style of the temple.
See also
literature
- Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta, Henley Royal Regatta Official Program Saturday July 5th 2008. Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta, 1989.
- Richard Burnell, Henley Royal Regatta: A celebration of 150 years. William Heinemann, London 1989, ISBN 0-434-98134-6 .
- Lynn Underwood, Henley Royal Regatta 1839–1989. Belgrave Publishing Ltd on behalf of Henley Royal Regatta, 1989.
Web links
- Temple Island Meadows on templeislandmeadows.com
- Henley Royal Regatta on hrr.co.uk
- Aerial photograph of Temple Island July 1931 on britainfromabove.org.uk