MONKEYING AROUND
Surrey Life|November 2019
Nestled on the River Thames, across the border in Bray, Berkshire, Monkey Island is a treasure trove of fascinating stories. Rebecca Younger visited the new hotel and met with the Surrey designer responsible for the estate’s gardens
MONKEYING AROUND

For over 800 years a small sliver of land on the River Thames, just downriver of Bray village, has been the haunt of monarchs, aristocrats, artists and writers. Monkey Island enjoys a remarkable and intriguing history and its exotic moniker is a source of staunch debate.

Some believe the rumour that the island got its name after ‘insane’ King George III was banished here with a pet monkey (he wasn’t), while some historians link the name to the Church’s early ownership – in 1197, monks attached to Merton Priory settled nearby, christening the island Monks Eyot.

However, it wasn’t until 500 years later when, hastened by the 1666 Great Fire of London that barges dumped rubble from the capital’s reconstruction onto the island raising it above sea level, that it became a suitable site for building.

Charles Spencer, the third Duke of Marlborough, bought the land in 1723 and created an angling retreat featuring a two-storey Fishing Temple and octagonal Fishing Pavilion, designed by Palladian architect Robert Morris.

Both buildings remain today, as does the 1738 singerie depicting monkeys punting, fishing and hunting, which was painted by Andie de Clermont on the ceiling of the Pavilion’s ground floor ‘Monkey Room’.

By 1840 the pavilion had become a riverside inn and welcomed monarchs (a 1905 photograph shows Edward V11 enjoying afternoon tea under the walnut trees), musicians (Sir Edward Elgar worked on his First Symphony Violin Concerto in The Hut, a house on the adjacent bank) and famous writers including poet Siegfried Sassoon, H.G Wells and his lover Rebecca West, whose 1918 novel The Return of the Soldier centred on a past affair on Monkey Island.

Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Surrey Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Surrey Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SURREY LIFESe alt
The House That Rocks
Surrey Life

The House That Rocks

Transforming an impressive, seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dorking wasn’t without its challenges, but the result is a stunning family home that has had the interiors world raving

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
REMEDY FOR SUCCESS
Surrey Life

REMEDY FOR SUCCESS

Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
Love Celia
Surrey Life

Love Celia

Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
Surrey Life

EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH

Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in Compton focuses on the Victorian roots of art activism

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Electric dreams
Surrey Life

Electric dreams

The Range Rover plug-in hybrid brings silent electric motoring to this iconic luxury car

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
THE OPEN ROAD
Surrey Life

THE OPEN ROAD

Chris Pickering rounds up some of the best drives in Surrey

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield
Surrey Life

TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield

With the North Downs looming nearby and glorious countryside surrounding it, Oxted is a town with real “escape from London” appeal and character, while nearby Limpsfield has a superb village vibe with its own community-run pub

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
Artist to the stars
Surrey Life

Artist to the stars

Known as ‘The Face of Modern British Impressionism’, Mickleham-based Sherree Valentine Daines is celebrating four decades at the forefront of her field

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2020
A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
Surrey Life

A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME

The Signet Collection’s inaugural hotel project is a reimagining of a former royal guest house, situated directly opposite Hampton Court Palace

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe
Surrey Life

TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe

On the banks of the River Wey, Godalming is a watercolour pretty town surrounded by pristine countryside and in-demand rural villages, such as Hascombe

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2020