ISLE GO
The tiny private island in Essex you never knew existed – and celebs love it
OFF the coast of Essex is a tiny private island you'll have never heard of - and it's where all the celebs go.
Osea Island is a 380-acre island in the Blackwater Estuary and has welcomed A-listers including Rihanna, Stormzy and Jude Law over the years.
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The island is just 45 miles from central London but it is only accessible twice a day for four hours at a time via an ancient causeway.
Often referred to as “English Necker Island,” it was owned by a pair of eccentric aristocrats at the turn of the century, but was bought up by Nigel Frieda in 2004.
Nigel, who has produced music for the Rolling Stones and launched the Sugababes, initially handed over the land to a psychiatric nurse called Brendan Quinn to use as a rehab clinic.
But the clinic, which was frequented by the late Amy Winehouse, was shut down by the Quality Care Commission in 2010.
Since then, the owner has been quietly turning the island into both a rural retreat and a party venue, with wholesome activities such as bike riding, croquet and blackberry picking.
Celebs including Poppy Delevigne, Sienna Miller and Jaime Winston have all been spotted partying on the island, while films including The Woman in Black, featuring Daniel Radcliffe, and The Third Day, featuring Jude Law, were all filmed there.
Many famous singers and bands have also visited Osea for work too, with two state-of-the-art recording studios on the island.
Rihanna, Georga Ezra and The Weeknd have all used the studios, while Stormzy most recently stayed on the island to record his latest album.
He said during a radio interview: "Once you're on the island, you were basically stuck there and we made a big chunk of the album there.
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"It was a very surreal, spiritual experience - when people are talking about their spiritual experiences, it's like away with the fairies, but for everyone who was there, we prayed together, we would play football together, we would laugh, we would talk.
"And these were some of the best musicians in the world, and they're some of the best producers in the world and some of the best artists in the world."
While the island is private, you can stay there if you book a stay on the island with rooms from £300 a night.
There are a number of houses across the island for different group sizes, but the largest is the Manor House that sleeps 20 and the Captain’s House that sleeps 16.
There are also several smaller properties that form a sleepy village in the centre of the island like the one-bedroom sweetshop and the four-bedroom penthouse.
Puffin Burrow, which sleeps six, is a 17th century cottage you can book while there is also the Honey Pot, a 18th century cottage that sleeps four.
While all of the properties are self-catering, there is an island cafe where guests can buy basic fare.
It might be worth skipping the food shop and buying a burger on the island though - you never know who you might bump into.
If you want to push the boat out, you can rent the entire island which sleeps 173 people, although it costs around £35,000 a day.
Elsewhere in the UK, a tiny island off the coast of Plymouth could soon become a holiday resort.
And another private island in the UK is tucked away in the Thames - but can visit twice a year for free.
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