Taggs' history

The Tagg family, who made their fortune as boat-builders, established a hotel on the island in 1870. By the late 19th century it was the leisure venue of choice for those in society. In 1912 it changed hands to Fred Karno, who spent his summers on Taggs Island, living on his houseboat, The Astoria (now owned by Pink Floyd's guitarist David Gilmour). Karno made a fortune as a music hall impresario, with a troupe of talented comedians, including the young Charlie Chaplin. When he opened his Karsino hotel in May 1913, he laid on ferries to get the guests to the hotel & offered 100 small boats as amusement. The music hall, hotel & grounds were all the rage for over a decade. Following WW1 & 3 summers of bad weather, Karno was finally forced into bankruptcy by 1925. The Karsino hotel & Taggs Island then changed hands several times, with many subsequent owners going bankrupt too. In 1972 the hotel was finally demolished & a series of fires destroyed the other buildings on the site. It's current reincarnation was developed by the Braban family to include the floating homes on the inner lagoon & the vehicle bridge.

Video presentation by Dave Raven, longstanding resident of Taggs Island