This Private Island Is On Sale For £25M… And It’s In Essex

Island life might bring to mind tropical climes and palm trees, but this jaw-dropping private island is just a few hours from the bustling British capital. Here’s everything you need to know about Osea Island, Essex.

Osea Island Is Up For Sale

It’s not every day that a 380-acre private island hits the market – especially when that private island happens to be only 40 miles away from London. But it’s official: Osea Island, an Essex hotspot brimming with history (and celebrity connections), is on sale for a rather impressive £25 million.

The island sits within the Blackwater Estuary, just a few hours east of central London; it’s connected to the Essex mainland by an ancient Roman causeway that’s submerged at high tide, leaving access restricted to either boats or planes. Once a secret naval base during World War I, it’s now home to 38 residential properties – and a renowned recording studio.

Is Osea Island Open To The Public?

Osea Island is currently owned by Nigel Frieda, a music producer known for founding the pop band Sugababes and producing music for The Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, the entire island is a private estate, meaning that it isn’t open to the public; it is, however, frequented by celebrities. 

Stormzy, for example, headed to Osea Island to work on his most recent album, This Is What I Mean, while Rihanna and Charli XCX have also visited. Olly Murs rented the entire place out for his wedding in 2023, and plenty of films, including both adaptations of The Woman In Black, were shot on the island, too.

Who Lives On Osea Island Now?

Under Frieda’s ownership, Osea Island has been fashioned into a ‘luxury retreat’, with its 38 private homes offering a total of 90 bedrooms. Among the residences are a magnificent Edwardian manor house, a collection of luxury apartments, and a particularly stunning Captain’s House, which can accommodate up to 22 guests.

Alongside these homes (and, of course, the world-class recording studio), you’ll find a pub, plenty of event spaces, and other commercial buildings on the island. There’s even a number of fields designed for festivals and glamping, plus some spectacular outdoor areas including ‘walled gardens, orchards, a carp lake and swimming pools,’ according to Knight Frank.

‘Osea Island presents an exceptionally rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a private island of remarkable scale and historical significance,’ says Georgie Veale, senior negotiator at Knight Frank. ‘Offering extensive land and multiple properties, it affords the purchaser unparalleled exclusivity, privacy, and a wide range of potential uses.’

Osea Island is available via Knight Frank and Fine & Country for £25 million.