Chance to snap up your own island paradise – in the heart of England

A RURAL hideaway that promises a paradise island away from it all has gone on the market for £190,000 in the beautiful heart of England.

But you have to be ready for some less-than-luxurious living at Osier Island on the River Avon – as it has no services.

The idyllic two-bedroom home draws its electricity from solar panels and water from rainfall.

But the unusual measures have not prevented the current owner of the island in Worcestershire from living on it all year round.

The quirky home is on a navigable stretch of the River Avon, around quarter of a mile upstream from the picturesque village of Wyre Piddle. It has two-bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom and a veranda which looks over the river and open countryside towards the wooded slopes of Bredon Hill.

The owner currently uses bottled gas for cooking and a woodburning stove for heating, with wastewater discharged directly into a soakaway.

It has now been put up for sale with Knight Frank for a guide price of £190,000 – £20,000 less than the cost of the average home in England and Wales.

Charles Probert, an associate in Knight Frank’s Worcester office, said: “I’ve not sold an island in the heart of England before.

“When I went to see it, I thought the vendor would have used it for a holiday home but she lives there all year round.

“There has been a building there since the 1940s and the current home is built above the level of the garden.

“When I went to see the island I met the owner at the local pub, which has moorings, so you can pop up there for a meal or a drink.

“She took me on the ten minute trip to the island and I spent around an hour on the veranda looking out at the river.

“The owner is an artist and she has really enjoyed living there, but is now selling and there has been a lot of interest.”

If it is not sold beforehand, the island will go under the hammer on Tuesday, September 27, at the Hadley Bowling Green, Hadley Heath, from 6.30pm.