[2] The lock island was purchased by the City of London Corporation for camping in 1891,[3] and in 1907 the ruined mills were demolished.

[4] The reason for the purchase of Shiplake Lock Island by the Corporation of London was to preserve the amenities for bathing and camping.

(At that time, ladies were not allowed to sleep on the island at all, but had to retire to wooden huts on the Shiplake bank).

The Thames Conservancy and its successor organisations the National Rivers Authority and Environment Agency had not been prepared to give more than a one-year lease to the plotholders.

This changed in 2022 when the Environment Agency refused to renew the leases, initially claiming it was for Health & Safety reasons but subsequently saying that the 'site had only been enjoyed by a "limited" number of people and wanted to encourage a more "inclusive approach" to allow everyone to stay'.

The river skirts Shiplake on the Oxfordshire bank and eventually passes into Sonning.

Shiplake Lock was a favourite place for fishing for the young George Orwell and his Buddicom friends.