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 the Temple Lock and Weir.
In between, in the middle of the river, lies another, smaller island, about 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 called, is about 2,000 square metres in size and has a developed mooring on one side and a tree-lined shore on the other. It is green, covered with trees and shrubs and has a pergola and stone terrace.
Access is of course by boat.
There are around 180 islands on the Thames that occasionally come up for sale, but they are usually attached to a house or estate, like the “water oasis” in nearby Marlow, which was offered for £4.95 million earlier this year. “(Islands on their own) are a rare breed,” says Savills agent Richard Maby. “I can’t remember seeing another one for years.”
Temple Weir Island has no electricity, water or sewage, and development potential is “limited, if it exists at all,” Maby says. That means it’s not possible to build on the island. “It is what it is.”
The island was used as a private mooring by its current owners, who purchased it in 2010. Maby expects the buyer will continue to use the island in this way.
“Since there is no planning, I can’t imagine it any other way. It’s an extension of someone’s garden. If you live somewhere else on the river, you can launch a small boat there and spend the day on it,” he says.
“Some people might use it in their free time and moor there during the day to have a picnic or a barbecue. That’s where the value lies.”
Mooring a boat on the Thames is not cheap: a 12-month berth at Harleyford Marina on the same stretch of river would cost £6,875 for a 12.5-metre boat.
Last year, Maby auctioned off a 30-foot lot on Lock Island in downtown Marlow. “We had crazy bids on it,” Maby says. “It sold to someone who just wanted a mooring to bring his boat into town.”
Temple Weir Island is being sold through a sealed bid process, with interested buyers required to submit offers to Savills before 12 noon on Friday 5 July.
The £75,000 is a “guide price” but the island could sell for a “substantially different amount”. The bids will be considered by the sellers, who will make their decision based on price, timing and certainty of sale.
“We often use this process for properties that are harder to value and have a wider audience,” Maby explains. “With a property like this, where you expect there to be some bidding competition, it’s easier to be constructive. That way everyone has an equal chance of getting the property… I’m excited to see how this property moves up in price.”
The London-based owners are selling because they no longer use the island as much as they would like. For those who dream of a private island but don’t have the budget, this could be an opportunity.
“Two things are special here: firstly, the rarity of this kind of thing – it’s very, very rare on the market,” says Maby. “And secondly, the location between Marlow and Henley. There are few more beautiful parts of the Thames and it’s just idyllic. It’s a magical part of the Thames Valley.”
