Fiddler's Elbow

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Sharp end of Fiddler's Elbow from upstream, with the weir stream to the right FiddlersElbow02.JPG
Sharp end of Fiddler's Elbow from upstream, with the weir stream to the right
General view of the islands from Sandford Lock FiddlersElbow01.JPG
General view of the islands from Sandford Lock

Fiddler's Elbow is the largest of a set of islands in the River Thames in England alongside and upstream of Sandford Lock, near Kennington, Oxfordshire.

River Thames river in southern England

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Sandford Lock

Sandford Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, situated at Sandford-on-Thames which is just South of Oxford. The first pound lock was built in 1631 by the Oxford-Burcot Commission although this has since been rebuilt. The lock has the deepest fall of all locks on the Thames at 8ft 9in (2.69m) and is connected to a large island which is one of three at this point.

Kennington, Oxfordshire village and civil parish in Vale of White Horse district, Oxfordshire, England

Kennington is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, just south of Oxford. The village occupies a narrow stretch of land between the River Thames and the A34 dual carriageway. It was in Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.

Fiddler's Elbow Island is in the shape of a leg of lamb with a wide expanse tapering upstream to a narrow point. The navigation channel passes to the east of the island and the main weir stream, leading to the Sandford Lasher (weir pool) passes to the west. Two smaller weir streams across the lower end of the island create two additional smaller islands. The island is entirely given over to open space and meadowland.

See also

Next island upstream River Thames Next island downstream
Rose Isle Fiddler's Elbow Lock Wood Island

Coordinates: 51°42′45″N1°14′08″W / 51.7125°N 1.2355°W / 51.7125; -1.2355

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

Related Research Articles

This article lists the islands in the River Thames, or at the mouth of a tributary, in England. It excludes human-made islands built as part of the building of forty-five two-gate locks which each accompany a weir, and islets subordinate to and forming part of the overall shape of another. The suffix -ey is common across England and Scotland and cognate with ait and meaning island, a term – as ait or eyot – unusually well-preserved on the Thames. A small minority of list entries are referred to as Island, Ait or Eyot and are vestiges, separated by a depression in the land or high-water-level gully.

Shiplake Lock

Shiplake Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England near the village of Shiplake, Oxfordshire. It is just above the points where the River Loddon joins the Thames and Shiplake Railway Bridge crosses the river. The first pound lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773.

Cookham Lock lock with weirs situated on the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire

Cookham Lock is a lock with weirs situated on the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire. The lock is set in a lock cut which is one of four streams here and it is surrounded by woods. On one side is Sashes Island and on the other is Mill Island connected to Formosa Island, the largest on the non-tidal Thames.

Thames Path long-distance trail following the River Thames in England

The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton, south east London. It is about 184 miles (296 km) long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996.

Teddington Lock Footbridges two footbridges on the River Thames in London

Teddington Lock Footbridge consists of two separate bridges across the River Thames in England situated just upstream of Teddington Lock at Teddington. There is a small island between the bridges.

Hambleden Lock

Hambleden Lock is a lock with a long weir situated on the River Thames in England. The lock is on the Berkshire bank between Aston and Remenham. It was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773, The lock is named after the village of Hambleden, a mile (1.5 km) to the north.

Old Windsor Lock

Old Windsor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England on the right bank beside Old Windsor, Berkshire. The lock marks the downstream end of the New Cut, a meander cutoff built in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners which created Ham Island. The lock and a wider footbridge give access to the island. Two weirs are associated; the smaller adjoins and the larger is upstream. The lock is the ninth lowest of the forty-five on the river.

Romney Lock

Romney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England near Windsor and Eton. It is on the Windsor side of the river next to a boatyard and adjoins Romney Island, a long strip of land in the middle of the river. The first lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1798.

Boveney Lock lock on the River Thames situated on the Buckinghamshire bank

Boveney Lock is a lock on the River Thames situated on the Buckinghamshire bank opposite the Windsor Racecourse and close to Eton Wick. Boveney is a village a little way upstream on the same side. The lock was first built in 1838 by the Thames Navigation Commission. The lock was rebuilt in 1898 closer to the Buckinghamshire bank, and a set of boat rollers were installed on the old site.

Abingdon Lock lock on the River Thames in England

Abingdon Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, less than 1 mile east and upstream of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on the opposite bank of the river. It was originally built in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission.

Osney Lock

Osney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxford, England, where the village or island of Osney is next to the river.

Godstow Lock

Godstow Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is between the villages of Wolvercote and Wytham on the outskirts of Oxford. The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790. It is the lock furthest upstream on the river which has mechanical (electro-hydraulic) operation - every lock upstream of Godstow utilises manual beam operation instead.

Kings Lock

King's Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England. It is in open country to the north of Oxford, Oxfordshire, on the southern bank of the river. The lock was one of the last pound locks built on the Thames being built by the Thames Conservancy in 1928 to replace the former flash lock.

Grafton Lock

Grafton Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the northern bank between Kelmscott and Radcot, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the hamlet of Grafton. The lock was built by the Thames Conservancy in 1896.

Fiddlers Island island in the River Thames at Oxford in England

Fiddler's Island is an island in the River Thames at Oxford in England. It is situated south of Port Meadow on the reach above Osney Lock.

Romney Island island in the River Thames

Romney Island is an island in the River Thames in England connected to Romney Lock, at Windsor, Berkshire. It is a long thin island with trees and scrub, with the upstream end in Windsor and the downstream end almost at Black Potts.

Buck Ait island in the River Thames

Buck Ait is an island in the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the reach above Shiplake Lock near Sonning.

Abbey River river in the United Kingdom

The Abbey River is a right-bank backwater of the River Thames in England, in Chertsey, Surrey — in the town's northern green and blue buffers. The L-shaped conduit adjoins mixed-use flood plain: water-meadows landscaped for a golf course, a motorway and a fresh water treatment works on the island it creates, Laleham Burway to its east and north in turn. Its offtake from the Thames is at the apex of Penton Hook, Staines upon Thames below its lower weir close to the Chertsey-Thorpe boundary in the Borough of Runnymede. Its outfall is the weir pool of Chertsey Lock back into the Thames, visible from Chertsey Bridge. The Environment Agency plans to build similar channels to the upstream Jubilee River, one of which will intersect the watercourse, another of which will be close to its outfall, thereby compensating for loss of its historic bypass functions.