Come Home To… A Houseboat On The Thames

London’s famous river isn’t just a waterway – it’s also a place that a small and highly exclusive number of people call home. Gary Jones surveys some of the alternatives that offer luxury living afloat in the British capital.

- Gary Jones

Stroll along London’s historic towpaths or around its rejuvenated old docklands and you’ll surely cast a covetous eye over the quirky houseboats moored on the River Thames and its marinas, wondering how you too might enjoy lazy days on the water.

You’ll daydream of throwing elegant, breezy summer soirées on deck, perhaps with Tower Bridge and the city skyscrapers silhouetted against the perfect Waterloo sunset; of the next morning sharing your outdoor breakfast toast and marmalade with a bevy of the Queen’s swans.

And all within the easy striking distance of the metropolitan hubbub – the shopping and galleries, the theatres and lights – of the West End. How can I, you’ll ask, dip my toes into London’s life aquatic?

Very few people take the plunge, of course. According to the Canal & River Trust, which oversees more than 3,000km of canals and rivers across England and Wales, boat numbers in London are up by 84 percent since 2012, to 4,274 vessels. But only about 350 are houseboats on the Thames, or just 0.01 per cent of the British capital’s 3.5 million residences.

And for good reason: the trust compares living on a boat to a physical job. “It might seem romantic, but people should go in with their eyes open,” it warns. Adventurous international investors with the will, a rebellious streak and the waterproof galoshes will surely find a way, however. And they’ll also need to dip into the savings.