River Thames shipping coming in and out of London, in 1732 it received the world's first lightship. This became a major landmark, and was used as an assembly point for shipping. Today it is marked by Sea Reach No. 1 Buoy. The River Thames contains over 80 islands ranging from the large estuarial marshlands of the Isle of Sheppey and Canvey Island to small tree-covered islets like Rose Isle in Oxfordshire and Headpile Eyot in Berkshire. They are found all the way from the Isle of Sheppey in Kent to Fiddler's Island in Oxfordshire. Some of the largest inland islands, for example
Canvey Wick habitats. The site has been described as "a brownfield rainforest" by Natural England officer Chris Gibson. The entrance to the reserve is on Northwick Road. Canvey Wick Canvey Wick is a 93.2 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest at the south-west corner of Canvey Island in Essex. It is owned by the Land Trust and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Buglife. The site was formerly an oil refinery, and has been transformed into an area of grazing marsh. It has a nationally important population of invertebrates, including 22 which are endangered Red Book species,