The History of Heron Island
Caversham’s history stretches back to before 1066 and the original parish church of St Peter was founded around 1162. The wooden tower was erected following the damage the church suffered in the Civil War during the battle for control of Caversham Bridge. During the late 19th century the church was virtually rebuilt and a further chapel was erected in 1924 as a memorial to those who died in the First World War.
A mile and a half downstream lay Caversham Mill on what is now Heron Island, and the nearby cluster of Victorian houses and streets made up Lower Caversham. The Mill at Heron Island is believed to be the one mentioned in the Domesday Book. In the time of Edward the Confessor it was held by Svain, a Saxon thane and Lord of Caversham.
Many historic buildings lie within the precincts of Caversham such as the Public Library, a gift from the USA by the Scottish-born self-made millionaire Andrew Carnegie, opened in 1907.
The Mill and Its History
William Harwell, a well-known local artist, painted the Heron Island Mill around 1850, and it is thought to have been as attractive as the mill at Mapledurham, which is still in operation. People were still bringing sacks of corn to be ground in the early 19th century and the Caversham Mill did not finally close until 1929.
Until Reading Bridge was built in 1923, the main means of getting from Reading to Lower Caversham by foot was via the lock and footbridge, across the weir and along the path leading to the nearby island mill, to what is now Coldicutt Street.
The Modern Estate
Following the end of milling, the island had a cork factory built on it in 1952 and in 1964 the beautiful tall poplars to the north-west side of our present estate were planted.
In 1986 the building of the Heron Island Estate began and was completed in the following year. It consists of some 47 houses, made up of four different designs with one free-standing house at the east end of the complex. Some houses lie along the Thames, some along the cut between Heron Island and View Island, some along the old mill stream and others overlook the main mooring basin, or lie in the centre of the island.
Heron Island is a gem setting for its attractive houses, where residents enjoy seeing swans, geese, coots, ducks, grebes, herons and kingfishers which make up the river life. Heron Island Residents Association (HIRA) was established soon after the estate became populated.
The original sales brochure for Heron Island is available in the Members Area.