Lot’s Ait

Lot's Ait is a small island on the River Thames, covering 1.724 acres (0.7 hectares). It's located upstream of Brentford Ait, with only a narrow stretch of water separating the two. For centuries, Lot's Ait was used for growing grass and osiers (basket willows), essential for basketry, furniture making, cart-building, and even cattle fodder. The island was also known as Barbel Island, named for the plentiful fish in its waters.

Until 1980, the island was home to a yard where barges were repaired, but Lot's Ait took on a wilder character after it was sold. Naturalized willows grew, old boats began to rot, and rusting dock roofs blended into the landscape, turning the island into a haven for wildlife. In 2002, Lot's Ait was put up for sale with outline planning permission for a restaurant, leisure facility, and boat storage.

The island can be accessed by a footbridge or, at low tide, by sturdy boots through the thick, shifting mud bed of the channel near Brentford's shore. It's also reachable by water from the slipway at Goats Wharf off Brentford High Street.

In 2011, after more than 30 years of disuse, a local company, John's Boat Works, leased the island and began boat-building operations once again. In January 2012, a new footbridge called Dahlia Bridge was installed, linking the island to the Brentford bank of the Thames at Smith Hill. The bridge was designed by Beckett Rankine and built by MSO Marine, bringing new life and accessibility to Lot's Ait.