Welcome to Lots Ait Boatyard

Lots Ait Boatyard is situated on an island in the river Thames between Kew Gardens and Brentford. An important part of London's commercial boating history, it was one of the last tidal boatyards to be closed in the early 1970's. Thanks partly to its island location, Lots Ait avoided re-development and has remained very much as it was left over 30 years ago with weeds and undergrowth hiding the vintage boat sheds and machinery that were formerly a hive of activity.

Thanks to plans developed by the islands owners, the Thames and General Lighterage Company, and John Watson, owner of John's Boat Works Ltd, the Lots Ait boatyard and workshops with its principal tidal dock and specialist equipment has been sympathetically restored to its former glory and the remaining tidal docks will be made available as leisure moorings. Amongst other improvements a footbridge has been installed to provide pedestrian access and finally an area of the island fronting the Thames will remain untouched to provide a natural habitat for the local wildlife.

John's Boat Works at Lots Ait Boatyard

John Watson, owner of John's Boat Works Ltd says "I have a lifelong passion for traditional boatbuilding and our great boating heritage, so having the opportunity to be involved in reopening Lots Ait boatyard is a dream come true. The revitalised boatyard provides a fantastic boatbuilding and repair resource on the Thames for boat owners and enthusiasts and also provides an opportunity for a new generation of craftsmen and women to experience and acquire traditional and modern boatbuilding and restoration skills."

"We provide facilities for all types of restoration work, equipment on site including a travelling crane to enable work to be performed on vessels in the tidal dock, while a restored trolley and lift engine enables vessels to be taken up the slipway railway for survey, inspection and short term repair. The workshop is equipped with a wood machine shop and stores. A hard standing area is available for winter storage as well as repair and restoration projects. The yard encourages traditional and heritage vessels to find a home for storage, maintenance and repair, alongside smaller commercial vessels and we thoroughly look forward to opening for business in May 2012."

The history of Lots Ait

The boatyard on Lots Ait was established in the 1920's by the Thames Lighterage Company to provide a base for the building and repair of the steel hulled lighter boats that were used to transport goods between the London Docks and the Grand Junction (later Grand Union) canal and the Great Western Railway, providing access to and from the heart of the nation.

The coming of motorways and shipping containerisation introduced in the 1950s and 60s caused the commercial river going traffic that had dominated the tidal Thames since the early days of the industrial revolution to enter a rapid and terminal decline. This led to the riverside boat yards shutting one by one. Lots Ait was one of the final boat yards to close in the 1970s and is almost unique in being preserved in its original form.

See Lots Ait as it is now on YouTube

See the Lots Ait photo gallery

More information

Lots Ait Open Day

Come and join in our Lots Ait Open Day Celebrations on Saturday 28th April. For an invitation and more details register your interest below.
» Register your interest

Workshop Space Available

» Download our workshop space information pack

» Register for our workshop "2 months free rent" special introductory offer. T&Cs apply

Interesting Links

Follow these links to other sites of local interest.
» Brentford Residents » Local Tide information