Private Island
Richard D'Oyly Carte was a London theatre impresario who brought together dramatist WS Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. A key theatreland figure in the latter part of the Victorian era.
The Simon Cowell of his era!
Richard D'Oyly Carte
The island was called Folly Eyot until the eponymous owner bought it. Richard D'Oyly Carte was the producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas from 1875 to 1896, founder of the Savoy Theatre and Royal English Opera House (now the Palace Theatre) in London, and a hotelier. D’Oyly Carte build the Savoy Hotel and owned several others including Claridge’s.
He is understood to have bought the island in around 1890, quickly replacing its Folly Eyot title with his name. After buying the plot he began building the giant property
Eyot House is currently being restored to the standard expected by its former owner, Richard D’Oyly Carte, who hosted his Savoy Hotel guests and his celebrity musicians for drink, food and entertainment.
To keep up to date with the refurbishment and exciting future projects please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Entertainment
The original purpose of the house was to be a boutique hotel for weekend entertainment for D’Oyly Carte’s Savoy guests and celebrity musicians. However, the refusal of a drinking license by the local authority was never going to thwart the entrepreneurial Richard D’Oyly Carte, who nominated the house as his residence and invited the Savoy guests and his celebrity musicians for drink, food, and entertainment. Many wild parties and musical performances were enjoyed much to the frustration of the local authority!
He is understood to have bought the island around 1890, quickly replacing its Folly Eyot title with his name.
In its pomp, the house was visited by many of D'Oyly Carte's famous friends, including Gilbert and Sullivan. The duo is responsible for an array of great operas that are still performed today, including The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, and The Pirates of Penzance.
It is difficult to appreciate the significance of this Victorian trio. In the 1890’s Sir William Gilbert, Sir Arthur Sullivan and Richard D’Oyly Carte were as famous, talented and celebrated as Adele, Ed Sheeran and Simon Cowell are today!
This musical heritage will be preserved with a limited number of intimate performances in the grand ballroom hosted and produced by D’Oyly Carte Music.
J.M. Barrie,
The Crocodile and Peter Pan
D’Oyly Carte Island was the weekend retreat for many of D’Oyly’s famous hotel guests and clients, among them, J.M. Barrie who is best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.
'So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever'..on D'Oyly Carte Island!
As J.M. Barrie made regular acquaintance with the Croc, It can be fairly assumed that D'Oyly's beloved pet may well have been the inspiration for the crocodile in Peter Pan.
In the Victorian era, it was fashionable among the rich and famous to keep exotic pets, and Richard D’Oyly Carte was no exception. On D’Oyly Carte Island, he owned a two-foot-long crocodile, housed in its own private pond with carefully crafted entry and exit points that allowed it to move easily into deeper water.
In mid-June 1897, the crocodile escaped from the island and was reported to have been seen disporting itself in the River Thames. D’Oyly Carte offered a reward—equivalent to approximately £250 in today’s money—for its safe return. After an estimated 20 to 30 days at large, local watermen eventually captured the crocodile in a net and returned it to D’Oyly Carte on the island, apparently none the worse for its adventure.
The incident was reported in the St James Gazette, a reproduction of which appears at the top of this text. The crocodile is also believed to have inspired the famous character in Peter Pan, written by J. M. Barrie, a close friend and client of D’Oyly Carte.
To commemorate the crocodile and its cultural influence, D’Oyly Carte commissioned a charming wooden sculpture, which was placed in one of the window alcoves in the eaves at the front of Eyot House. It remains there to this day.
The Crocodile Enclosure
The sunken pool that housed the crocodile is located at the rear of the island, behind the back garden. The step is what the crocodile would have used to enter and exit the water. Our plans are to refurbish and restore the pool in memory of D'Oyly's reptilian boon companion (also to accommodate any visiting crocodiles in the years to come).
Whether the island will welcome such an exotic permanent resident in the future, however, is yet to be decided...
Red Squirrel Sanctuary
Future plans for the island include an upgrade to D’Oyly’s to better accommodate private events for the local community, alongside the creation of a Red Squirrel sanctuary.
Hill explains: “After completely renovating the pond, including the original crocodile-style entry and exit points, we briefly considered introducing another crocodile. However, Health & Safety concerns quickly ruled that out. Wanting to preserve the island’s tradition of hosting something truly exotic, Sheila suggested Red Squirrels. Following extensive research, we learned that Red Squirrels are a protected species and are increasingly threatened by the spread of larger grey squirrels. Red Squirrels require environments that grey squirrels cannot easily access, making a private island on the Thames an ideal sanctuary. With the support of our mooring community, we are confident the greys can be kept at bay.”
"A La Carte"
In June 2023, D’Oyly Carte Island, in partnership with D’Oyly Carte Music, live-streamed A La Carte—a curated selection of Gilbert & Sullivan’s greatest hits—performed in the ballroom of Eyot House.
This landmark production marked the first live music event on D’Oyly Carte Island in over 130 years, returning performance to a place once home to Richard and Helen D’Oyly Carte. The D’Oyly Carte family—founders of the Savoy Theatre and Savoy Hotel and pioneers of modern theatrical production—played a central role, alongside Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, in bringing comic opera to global audiences.
The event was conceived as a proof of concept, successfully integrating booking, customer service, pre-event marketing, hosting, payment gateways, and live streaming into a single seamless experience. It also achieved a major technical milestone as the world’s first live-streamed musical performance in Dolby Atmos, delivering the highest available audio quality to audiences worldwide.
Performed by members of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, A La Carte weaves together music, diary entries, correspondence, and contemporary reviews, honouring the enduring legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan through both performance and innovation.
Password Required: ALaCarte2024
The Melvyn Tarran Collection
The late Melvyn Tarran owned the biggest collection of Gilbert & Sullivan Memorabilia in the world, and it is being moved to D'Oyly Carte Island. We're delighted to bring you his collection for you to enjoy
