Eel Pie Island is a small island in the middle of the Thames, just across from Twickenham. It is currently home to several artists’ studios, and twice a year hosts ‘open days’ where the general public can visit this normally-private island and purchase art if they so wish.
One of these open weekends was held on 29-30 June and I went along towards the end. The island is reached via a bridge on the bank in Twickenham, and once you reach the other side there’s a winding path that takes you past plenty of weird and wonderful sights. My favourite was the house with an upside-down ice cream on its roof, but there was plenty to see all the way through.
I don’t have the budget or the space to indulge in art purchases, but if you do, there’s plenty on offer, both traditional paintings and more modern crafts.
After my visit to the island, I headed back over the bridge to visit Eel Pie Island Museum. This small but impressive museum has been open since 2015 and tells the story of the island from its early days as a tourist attraction during Georgian times to its present as a home to artists.
During the era of Alexander Pope, Eel Pie Island was popular as a picnic and refreshment spot. Less congenially, it was also used as a place wealthy men could keep their mistresses out of the way of their wives’ prying eyes.
In the 1950s, owing to the efforts of a number of individuals, Eel Pie Island became home to a burgeoning jazz scene and eventually rock n’ roll. Major artists who played here included David Bowie in his early days, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and more. The museum is full of artefacts from this era as well as reminiscences and remembrances from people who remember those days.
Sadly, the music scene eventually left the island, which became a commune for a short while before the hotel housing members eventually burned down. Nowadays, as I saw on my visit to the island, artists live and work here, meaning it still remains a home for creativity of one kind or another.
FACTS
Address: 1-3 Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 3AB
Website: eelpiemuseum.co.uk
Opening Hours: Wednesdays to Sundays 12-6pm
Price: £3 single visit (under 16s free, when accompanied by an adult); £5 Annual Passport (unlimited visits for one calendar year, from date of Membership)