Born Frederick John Westcott at Exeter, Fred Karno, as he came to be known, started as a circus gymnast, later becoming a theatre impresario after a period developing slapstick comedy. He trained many in the art, notably Charlie Chaplin and the duo Laurel and Hardy.

In 1912 he bought Tagg’s Island on the Thames at Hampton and replaced Tom Tagg’s hotel with a design by Frank Matcham. It was a place of entertainment and a 600 seat Palm Court music hall was soon added. 

 Also that year he had a luxurious houseboat built, named Astoria, and moored at the island. The hotel enterprise never recovered after the 1914-18 War and, in 1926, he was declared bankrupt. However, Astoria is still moored at Hampton.

Further Reading 

Wikipedia