Luxury riverside home on private island in Thames once gifted to Lord Nelson with hot tub, summer house and orchard goes on sale – but there’s a catch
This stunning home on Admiral Lord Nelson's former island is on the market for £2.3million... but there's something you should know
A SPECTACULAR riverside home on a private island once gifted to Admiral Lord Nelson has gone on the market for £2.3million.
But there's a small catch: The five-bed property on Pharaoh's Island, on the River Thames, can only be reached by boat.
Fortunately the journey takes less than 30 seconds and there is a garage on the opposite bank where owners can leave their car.
The home in Shepperton, Surrey, was purchased by the Treasury and given to Britain's greatest sailor after his victory at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.
Most of the island's 23 homes have Egyptian names but Sphinx, built in 1903, is believed to be one of the most impressive.
It is situated on a south-facing plot at the tip of the island with a spectacular outlook across the River Thames.
In the 1960s, the half-acre plot was home to actors Janet Munro and Ian Hendry, of The Avengers.
Sphinx has more than 2,000-square-feet of accommodation space including a sitting room, kitchen and breakfast room, open plan dining room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
It also has an annex with another two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office and sauna.
Outside there is a swimming pool, hot tub, greenhouse, summer house, orchard and vegetable garden.
There is also a 98ft private jetty, which allows for a discrete entrance and can accommodate larger boats.
The island was gifted to Nelson after he foiled French general Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt in order to block British trade routes to India.
It was one of many gifts given to honour Nelson and he used it as a fishing retreat, but it was later passed to another admiral who sold off plots of land.
Adam Burlison, from estate agents Knight Frank, said: "It is a unique and quirky property that you can only get to by boat and it's the perfect weekend retreat.
"We think it will appeal to somebody who doesn't necessarily spend all their time in the UK or someone who wants a lock up and leave outside London but doesn't want to go all the way down to the coast, this is a classic in-between.
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"There are a couple of chairs set up at the end of the garden looking out over the river which is the perfect G&T spot to sit and watch the boats go by.
"There is quite a lot of history to the island and to that property.
"Anyone who has an interest in all things nautical is bound to be interested in it."
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