The auction drew a large crowd of people, especially of boating and river men, 'many of whom', it was said, 'had no doubt spent many happy hours about the place', but apparently the bids did not flow as freely as the nostalgia, and a number of lots were withdrawn when the reserve price was not reached. Cobbett says he 'was an inborn genius in devising craft, from a skiff to a steam launch. Originally Walnut Tree Island, it was bought by Francis Kent in 1850. Beyond suffering from shock, he appeared to be little worse for the accident. In September 1872 he took over the licence of the Angler's Retreat, and entered into his new role of mine host with willing enthusiasm. Molesey was a magnet which drew the great and the not so great, the famous, those who hoped for fame, and those to whom fame could come one day. In December 1904 all his assets were put up for auction, including the lease of the hotel, five and a half acres of ground on the island, and the boat-building premises, £850 worth of shares in Taggs Island Hotel Ltd, the freehold of the club and boathouse on the Molesey bank of the river, and the land between the club and the lock-house. 'The plans of the building', it was reported, 'have been approved of, and tenders are already being sought for carrying out the work. Within a year the new hotel was built. A canoe and punt, on bank at bow, tied to houseboat. Jack the ever free and frolicsome, who once whitewashed a donkey on the fifth of November, bundled the creature into a barber's shop and wanted him shaved, saying that he was already lathered'. Belinda smiled, and all the world was gay'. 'Many people not only frequent the river in their spare time, but even live on it in houseboats...' says the legend on this painting of exotic weekend floating retreats at Tagg's Island early this century. On the Barge-walk Mr W.H. We are very lucky... 62 boats cluster round the island and lagoon and just over 100 people are happy to call Taggs Island home.. . The propeller of the biplane was completely smashed, as were other parts of the machine. will be well provided with the necessary requirements in that respect. Taggs Island A crowded Thames atoll formerly called Walnut Tree Island or Garrick’s Upper Eyot, located between Hampton and Hampton Court From the 1850s the conve­nient nearby presence of Hampton Court station drew day-trippers to the island’s shabby pub and skittle alley, the Angler’s Retreat. In 1956, however, it was sold, and since that time its story has been one of continuing strife. It will be constructed of red brick, and of Gothic-Dutch architecture'. He now moved this entirely to the larger island. Alternatively you may be able to get second hand copy on amazon. Smith of Hurstside had very prettily arranged fairy lights 1850: bought by Francis Kent in 1850. (d) A ladies drawing room. The concourse of people who assembled to witness the pageant was very large. It is also eminently adapted for ball-room or smoking concerts. Barrie — he became world-known as the creator of the eternally youthful Peter Pan. It has had several names during its history. In June 1897, on the hot sultry day of queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Tom Tagg caught a cold, from which he died three days later. Looking upstream from the lock the spectacle was charming. The very vessel itself seemed to burst into life. After renovations and re-furnishing it was opened on 16 July 1906. The whole building seemed radiant with coloured lights. is lying on a plank, lazily writing a letter. were one mass of illumination ... Molesey Residents Association: Ernest Mallett, 20 Walton Road, East Molesey, Tel 020-8979-6446, Bookshop: 68, Walton Road, East Molesey 020-8224-3232, Molesey Library, The Forum, Walton Road, West Molesey 020-8979-6348, Houben's Bookshop: 2a Church Court, Richmond 020-8940-1055. Letters must be called for at the post-office, unless a special arrangement is made'. In 1912 the lease was sold to Fred Karno. 1912: the lease was sold to Fred Karno. Now I know that by comparison we were all humdrum folk, living prosaically round a field with a cow in it, a cow that became the one companion of Anon. Template by Viklund, J M Barrie - Author of "Peter Pan" - Taggs resident - July 1887. On the island in the heat of the day Anon and the cow often had the field to themselves, for the flannelled ones were at their offices in the city, and we are speaking of an age when women did not want to bask and be brown. Then the curious ones lay down their rods, and gathering round the minnow, watch it slowly dying on the grass. By 1906 a description of Surrey could mention Molesey as 'a noted port of pleasure boats, and the name Tagg, that has taken such banyan — like root here'. and was surrounded by luxurious houseboats. Munnings' exceptional ability to capture light illuminates the happy scene. [ Ash Island? The Tagg dynasty carries on. Unquestionably no enterprise which has been ventured on the island has flourished for very long, although, as far as Kent himself was concerned, the malediction seems to have been so much water off a duck's back. All books copyright © R G M Baker, all rights reserved. Even Tagg's little farmyard, which had then dwindled to the presence of a solitary cow, was brought in to enliven the proceedings. He explains in a little piece called 'Round the Island', the style of which is somewhat reminiscent of another Thames writer — Jerome K. Jerome, 'Near this point lies a houseboat in blue and yellow, called the Victory; and in the Victory our pretty girl lives. Thames Voyages 020 8941 2676 Moorings,slipway,gas,engineering; on A308, Right bank by Taggs island. The magnificent parquet floor was composed of over 8,000 pieces of selected woods of 'every variety of grain and hue'. The list of customers and patrons looked like several pages from Debrett. The reply to that was 'Because it has a Tagg [tag] at each end'. making the bank stand out very prominently in the darkness. He had sufficiently succeeded by 1868 to reconstruct the boathouse, with larger space for boat-building and storage, and with residential accommodation above, into which he moved with his wife and six-year-old son, George, from their cottage near his father's in Bridge Road. Skiffs flash by in a blaze of coloured lights. The saloon was much the largest room, some seventeen feet long. The Swiss Chalet is now part of a boat building yard. The ladies board a launch at Barge Walk in 1905. (b) Bathroom and lavatory with hot and cold water, kitchen, etc. Gilmour — he hired the houseboat Arcadia, and in July 1887 we find him extolling the virtue of houseboat life in an article in the British Weekly, a periodical which was usually of a much more sedate nature, as its subtitle, A Journal of Social and Christian Progress, implies. (f) A members lavatory. Especially is this the case at week-ends, when celebrities are to be seen in great numbers'. Tagg's Island is the much larger island upstream of Ash Island. Tagg's Island is the much larger island upstream of Ash Island. Joined to the Right bank by a roadbridge. On the second floor (a) Six large bedrooms, for the use of members only, with balcony commanding views of the river and Hurst Park racecourse. The architect was Mr A. Burrell-Burrell, of Chancery Lane. 'During the season', it was said, 'its well-kept lawn, dotted with chairs and tables, presents a very gay scene, thronged with well-known people, members of the theatrical and musical profession predominating. It was fitted throughout with all the latest innovations — electric light, telephone and electric bells. In 1841 two branches of the family occupied cottages in Bridge Road close to the Albion Inn. Thomas Tagg and Son at their boathouse on the Surrey shore always have a large display. All around, on the Molesey towpath and in countless punts, people stopped and listened. played some excellent selections of music. They were very successful in their efforts on the present occasion. The fleet of steam and motor launches, boats, skiffs, punts, and canoes, together with the plant and machinery and flags and bunting were also auctioned, as were the furniture and effects. He was a keen river man.]. Tagg's Island was once Crown land, part of the manor and honour of Hampton Court. Dave Raven, a resident of 28 years has a brief history HERE, Watch the demolishing of the Karsino in March 1971 below, Copyright © 2012 Raven They are, however, mere shadows of their former selves. When Kent purchased the island it was populated by a number of squatter families, who made a precarious living by cutting the osiers, or willow rods, which once grew in abundance and which they peeled, bleached in the sun, and made into baskets. From the 1880s the perimeter of the island was fringed with ranks of these exuberant floating juggernauts. Thames Voyages 020 8941 2676 Moorings,slipway,gas,engineering; on A308, Right bank by Taggs island. These were not the sort of people Kent wanted on his island. On Whit Sunday a pilot from the Royal Flying Corps training camp, The old beer licence was transferred, and shortly after, a full wine and spirit licence was granted. and build grander and more commodious premises on the mainland. The family was so well-known on the river that one was posed the question 'Why is the Thames like a shoe lace?' They are like myself in this respect — that they are all more hopeful than the circumstances seem to warrant'. There were many famous residents, including J.M.Barrie author of Peter Pan. 'All houseboats should be as pretty as swans on the water, and most of them are, for no one would care for houseboat-life who is not romantic in the sun, and if you are romantic you love the beautiful, and so you cannot help making your home on the river picturesque. ["Karno's Circus" became a saying meaning a grand and chaotic affair ] -, Fred Karno's Houseboat "Astoria" is to be seen in the Google map satellite view Tom Tagg's Boat Clubhouse was eventually taken over by Watercraft Ltd. His monogram is on the wall of the building. Patrons would pay a yearly subscription to belong to the club, and would be able to come down, stay the week-end, hire a boat, play games like tennis or billiards, dine, or dance, all in the same establishment. Dismantled from its native soil in the latter part of the last century, it was brought over to be erected on this site in what was then the grounds of a large house called 'Riverholme', which stood, until a few years ago, a little way downstream. His energy was boundless, his initiative and business acumen considerable. He also characterised him as 'One of the best friends I ever had. As a result the firm was taken over by his son George John Tagg, remembered by many Molesey people as 'Colonel Tagg', who had been taken on as a partner in the firm several years before. (b) A very fine reading room 30ft X 15ft. known as any island on the river, and much patronised by holiday-makers at He leased part of the island to local boatbuilder Thomas Tagg and he opened a hotel and the island eventually became known as Taggs Island, and was surrounded by luxurious houseboats. After that first season Barrie gave up the houseboat, but he never forgot his rapturous days on the island, even though he did not visit Tagg's again for another thirty years.

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