Lots Ait

Lot’s Ait is a small island in the Thames near Brentford, part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It sits on the Tideway where the river widens and the current slows. The ait covers just over half a hectare and is separated from Brentford Ait by a narrow strip of water. For many centuries it was used for growing willows and osiers, which supplied material for baskets and furniture. The island also served as a fishing spot known once as Barbel Island. The island changed hands in 2002 when outline planning permission was granted for a restaurant, leisure building and boat storage. Access is possible on foot at low tide by crossing thick mud from Brentford shore, or by boat from Goats Wharf slipway. In 2011 a local firm, John’s Boat Works, took a lease and restarted boat building after a gap of more than thirty years. A new footbridge, Dahlia Bridge, was installed in 2012 to link the island to Smith Hill on the Brentford bank. The bridge was designed by Beckett Rankine and installed by MSO Marine. Lot’s Ait now hosts a working boatyard and occasional cultural events. Film crews have used the island for scenes in The African Queen and Stratton. George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces featured the boatworks in one episode. In 1987 the Bow Gamelan Ensemble performed an art piece called Offshore Rig on the island, later documented by Channel 4. The ait remains a quiet green space beside the busy Thames, home to wildlife and small-scale industry.