Temple Island
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:00:14 -0700 by guidesforbrides

Temple Island is situated a mile and a half downstream of the picturesque market town of Henley, on one of the most beautiful reaches of the River Thames. The Temple itself is a delightful folly, designed by James Wyatt as a fishing lodge for Fawley Court, the Christopher Wren mansion on the Henley Reach, from which the Temple completed a charming prospect through an avenue of trees. The Temple was built in 1771, its interior being based on designs which had just been discovered at Pompeii. This work, now beautifully restored, is the first example in England of the form of ornamentation which came to be known as the Etruscan Style. The Etruscan Room is of fine proportions and commands magnificent views of the Thames. During the heyday of the Summer Season in Victorian times, the Island and the Temple were used as a vantage point from which members of the Leander Club watched the Regatta.

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