"The old village 0f Twickenham lies on the Middlesex shore, partly in the backwater behind Eel-Pie Island, which latter won its name from its connection with a favourite luxury of our forefathers, now virtually extinct on the river. "

Henry Taunt 1885

A map of 1635 shows Eel Pie Island having 'A Boulding Alley'. The inn there, originally called the Ship, became the White Cross and finally a much larger establishment, the Eel Pie Island Hotel that Taunt mentions.

Although the hotel was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, it was in the 1960s that it became London's equivalent of the Liverpool Cavern Club. Long John Baldry's band played there, with a young Scottish singer called Rod Stewart, as did John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, who featured some cool solo riffs by an unknown guitarist called Eric Clapton.

Graham Diprose 2007

See Taunt's image on its original map.

The text above are sample extracts from the book; entries for each location are more extensive.

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