Rod Eyot, River island in Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom
Rod Eyot is a river island in the Thames near Henley that contains ten chalets and a brick building, accessible only by boat. The island functions as a self-contained residential community with private moorings along the water's edge.
In 1907 the town council subdivided and sold plots on the former Corporation Island, renaming it Rod Eyot. Only one brick building existed on the land before this transformation into individual properties.
The brick cottage once served the community as a farrier's workshop, shoeing horses that pulled freight barges along the waterway. Today this building stands as a reminder of the river's working heritage.
Access to the island requires a private boat or water taxi since no bridge connects it to the shore. Waste management depends on boat transport to collection points at nearby riverside boathouse facilities.
A painting before 1900 in the royal collection depicts the island as part of several seasonal islands that once dotted the Thames. This historical record shows how river erosion and human development have reshaped the waterway over time.
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