It’s all going on at D’Oyly Carte Island, on the Thames below Shepperton lock. We have already brought you news of the purchase of the historic island and house. Well, life is being breathed back into this magical place and once more you will see that the moor-ings all around the island have been filled with house and pleas-ure boats. There is a veritable community there now and it is a special place indeed.
We were fortunate enough to be able to visit some months back and hear about plans from new owner Andy Hill. As he showed us around the house and garden, it was easy to be enthused by the vision for the future. There is a long way to go, but this is one very dedicated owner, and he has great ideas which we will elaborate on in a future issue.
As we walked back along the riverside moor-ings Andy pointed out a very special boat which he specifically made room for lately. The 100ft steel hulled ‘Flamant Rose’ (meaning pink flamingo) belonged to Edith Piaf, the famed French singer, in the 1930s/40s. Allegedly this became her love boat, a special hideaway to rendezvous with lover Marcel Cerdan during their affair in the late 1940s. Marcel was a famous boxer of the era. The Flamant Rose was moored on the Seine but would make its way along the French waterways, allowing the lovers to meet while Piaf was on tour in France. Story has it that this was the time Piaf was at her happiest, tragically cut short when Cerdan was killed in a plane crash in 1949 on his way to meet her on a trip in the USA. Piaf herself died in 1963 aged only 47.
The boat remained on the Seine until it was purchased as a gift for celebrity hypnotist Valerie Austin some 25 years ago, when it was brought over to St Katherine’s dock. The vessel was put up for sale by Sotheby’s in late 2021 for around £1.5m. To have this historic vessel in our waters is really special. Needless to say, we have it in mind to find out more from the current owners and to visit the boat. So, watch this space!