Island Hopping.

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Before the use of steam and diesel, all the large boats on the Thames were towed by horses (or men) or limited use of sail. Towing obviously required a tow path along one or other sides of the river. A lot of the riverside land is private and so the towpath has to change sides many times. Each time there was a change, there was a need for a ferry to get the horses or men to the opposite side. Just along these three or four miles there was a need for a similar number of ferries. There was the Spade Oak ferry at the foot of Winter Hill and several down stream at Cookham.

At Cookham the waters of the Thames encounter the solid mass of Chiltern chalk at Cliveden Cliff, which forces a sharp change in direction southwards.

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If you look closely you can pick out Cliveden House

and Tower at the top of the 'Cliff'.

(click to enlarge any picture)

Centuries ago this area would have been a maze of narrow channels between wooded marshy islands. This made it easier to cross the river here.

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To get to the lock today involves ‘island hopping’, first onto Formosa Island over this delightful bridge and then onto Mill Eyot and finally across the ’lock cut’ to Sashes Island.

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Sashes Island is the largest in the group and one of the largest in the Thames. Its name evolved from Sceaftaga, Sceaf being a Saxon name.

Cookham Lock opened in 1830. The landowner at Hedsor, Lord Boston, sued for compensation because of lost trade caused by the disuse of the towpath on his land.

Later on a weir was built at the Cookham end, which completely stopped the flow of river traffic. Once again he claimed compensation, so you see ‘Compensation culture’ is nothing new!

This blocked off section is now private water with no public right of navigation, a unique situation on the Thames.

Cookham had no bridge until the 19th Century, so the ferry that crossed the Thames near the church was vital to village life.

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Cookham road bridge.

Later when the lock was in use and a bridge had been built, a ferry was still needed to take towpath traffic from Sashes Island to the towpath on the village bank.

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The winch post for the ferry may still be found on the tip of the island. (where that white boat is moored).

There was another ferry at the other end of the lock cut but although both ferries closed in 1956 the towpath along the cut remains open.

Now for a pint in the Ferry Inn.

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