Crane Park Island is a nature reserve managed by The London Wildlife Trust, once part of the Old Hounslow Gunpowder Mills. These mills used the River Crane as a source of waterpower for the production of gunpowder and building remains of this industry can be found throughout the site.
The concept of the design has been developed with thought to the waterwheels that would have existed to power the mill, it provides a centralised meeting point in the park, encouraging more visitors to the shot tower, immersing them in the nature reserve and allowing a resting point suspended above the river with improved advantage points of the derelict weirs and mill race.
