It is generally assumed that the island takes its name from the monkey paintings by French artist Andie de Clermontin in the Pavilion. This, however, is a popular misconception. The name derives from the earlier title of Monks Eyot, indication that monks were using the island, probably in association with their fisheries. The monks resided on a moated site near Bray Lock on the Buckinghamshire bank of the river from 1197 until the Dissolution. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, to aid rebuilding the city, Oxfordshire stone was shipped down stream to the capital in barges. On their return, rubble was discarded on many of the Thames islands, providing Monkey Island with a solid, raised foundation for building. Around 1723, Charles Spencer, the 3rd Duke of Marlbough, purchased the island and erected a fishing lodge and temple. The lodge, now the Pavilion, was built of wood blocks cut to look like stone which remain in their original state today. The Temple was originally open on the ground floor like a market stall, with the ceiling of the room above depicting Neptune and mermaids in plasterwork of Wedgwood style.

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