Pharaoh's Island, River Thames
Pharaoh's Island is an island in the River Thames, in Surrey, England, 270 m upstream of Shepperton Lock.
The island has a length of 280 m and a maximum width of 60 m. Shepperton Lock is 270 m downstream and two other channels leading to weirs diverge off after the island to its southeast. These channels then surround Lock Island and Hamhaugh Island. The island is only accessible by boat, with the facilities of Lock Island downstream and moorings there or by the pub The Thames Court almost opposite its eastern tip on the nearer, north bank.
Above the lock, the variation in river level has been between 0.08 m at the lock gate and 0.99 m. This compares favourably to variation below the lock at between 2.67 m and 4.95 m in depth.
It was given to Admiral Nelson after the Battle of the Nile (1798). He used it as a fishing retreat.
Since the late 20th century it has hosted 14 homes with individual moorings. Each of the properties has an Egyptian name.
In January 2011, a small dinghy ferrying people from the island capsized with the loss of two lives. The fatalities were named as university professor Dr Rex Walford OBE and record producer Keith Lowde.
As the home of his family, the island was the setting for director John Boorman's two semi-autobiographical films: Hope and Glory in 1987 and Queen and Country in 2014.
Coordinates: 51°22′57″N 00°27′53″W / 51.38250°N 0.46472°W
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