Monkey Island, Bray

About

Monkey Island is an island in the River Thames in England, on the reach above Boveney Lock. Its nearest village is Bray, Berkshire. The dominant building on the island is a small hotel since the late 19th century. The reach on which it sits is a main reach in boat hiring and tour boating, between Windsor and Maidenhead. The island and the reach have been a tour destination since the Georgian era – particularly so after its purchase by the Duke of Marlborough of 1738 (of the current Dukedom well-noted for Blenheim Palace) who in nameplay put colourful statues of monkeys in his various gardens for visitors to discover. In one of his two small buildings on the island (by Palladian architect Robert Morris) some of these remain.