Originally Crown land and part of the Manor of Hampton granted to
Walter of Saint-Valéry following the
Norman Conquest, the island was historically known as
Walnut Tree Ait. The island was purchased around 1850 by Francis Jackson Kent, a Hampton solicitor and property speculator (who bought and developed most of the land in
East Molesey following the opening of the
Hampton Court branch line), during which period the island came to be known as '''Kent's Ait'''. Kent evicted the inhabitants, who had subsisted by growing
osiers used for basket making, and leased one part of the island to Joseph Harvey, who established a pub called 'The Angler's Retreat', and another part to Thomas George Tagg, who came from a local family of boat builders.
Thomas Tagg and the Island Hotel Tagg eventually took out a lease of the whole island, and in September 1872 took over the licence for the pub. After negotiations with Kent, Tagg swiftly rebuilt the pub into The Island Hotel with "an entrance hall, bars, coffee room, smoking room, and bedrooms for guests, each with a verandah with views out over the river", The hotel became a favoured venue of London high society, frequented by the likes of:
Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII); the
Duke and Duchess of Fife; and
Sarah Bernhardt.
houseboats, which by this time were "exuberant floating juggernauts" with multiple storeys and comprehensive amenities, and had famous residents including writer
J.M. Barrie,
Gilbert & Sullivan exponent
Henry Lytton, and a music hall actor known as
Fred Karno. In 1914 Karno expanded the hotel by constructing The Palm Court concert pavilion, which accommodated 800 people under a ceiling painted with scenes of the river between
Hampton Court and
Windsor. The stage was constructed with two
prosceniums – one facing into the ballroom, the other facing out to the hotel grounds – allowing an outdoor performance to swiftly switch indoors if the weather turned inclement. for £2,500. Karno declared bankruptcy in the autumn of 1927. and also appears briefly in the 1924 film
Along Father Thames to Shepperton, part of the Wonderful London series produced by
Graham Wilcox Productions. The Karsino is referenced in the original lyrics of
Jack Buchanan's "Battling Butler" (renamed
Battling Buttler for its transfer to the US ), where the song "Dancing Honeymoon" references the
"old Karsino / We know on the Isle of Tagg".
Palm Beach, The Thames Riveria and the Casino Hotel New Princes Ltd set about converting the island into a miniature Palm Beach, the managing director explaining their plan as: "a resemblance of
America's most exclusive resort in Florida, thousands of tons of sand are to be placed on the island and hundreds of palms will be planted. There will be large sunshades, beach chairs, provision for the enjoyment of mixed bathing, and other items of amusement and relaxation generally associated with the fashionable resorts." The resort opened on 8 May 1926 with performances by touring baritone
Whispering Jack Smith and the New Princes resident cabaret company (which included cabaret star Jean Rai). flood-lit tennis court, and ice-skating rink. The venture failed within six weeks and Cyril was declared bankrupt. were also manufactured (completed cars requiring removal of the factory wall for shipping). The company would use the Casino Hotel for product launches.
The Crawdaddy Club and demolition Vehicle production ceased in the mid-1960s, and between 1965 and mid-1968 the Casino ballroom intermittently hosted the
Crawdaddy Club, featuring bands such as
Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds,
Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, The Shotgun Express (including
Rod Stewart,
Mick Fleetwood and
Peter Bardens) and
Pink Floyd. The Casino Hotel was ultimately abandoned. In 1970
Tommy Steele filmed part of his 1971 TV film
In Search of Charlie Chaplin at the hotel, and in 1971 it was used as a set for
A Clockwork Orange. The 'Billy Boy' gang fight at the start of the film was shot in the ruins of the Palm Court ballroom. In 1965 the bridge to the north bank collapsed, and in 1971 the hotel was demolished in preparation for a new hotel proposed by American businessman Leon Bronesky (which was never built). houseboat moored on the northern bank of the
River Thames, and
St Mary's Church,
Hampton in the distance.
Houseboat mooring In 1980 houseboat owners Gerry and Gillian Braban bought the island, rebuilding a road bridge to the north bank in 1982, and excavating a lagoon in the centre of the island (increasing the number of houseboats by 20) in 1983. At present the island has 62 permitted houseboats, which styles itself as a community of artists and creatives. The
Astoria was purchased by
Pink Floyd guitarist
David Gilmour in 1986, and used by the band as a recording studio. The houseboat is visible from the island, now moored on the northern bank upstream. On 18 July 2022, 14-year-old Brian Sasu of Feltham jumped off Tagg's Island bridge, injured his neck and drowned. ==See also==