Off the coast of Essex is a small private island you’ve never heard of and it’s where all the celebrities go.

Osea Island is a 380-hectare island in the Blackwater estuary and has welcomed A-listers including Rihanna, Stormzy and Jude Law over the years. The island is only 45 miles from central London, but is only accessible twice a day for four hours at a time via an ancient causeway.

Often referred to as ‘English Necker Island’, it was owned by an eccentric aristocratic couple at the turn of the century but was bought by Nigel Frieda in 2004. Nigel, who has produced music for the Rolling Stones and started the Sugababes, originally deeded the land to a psychiatric nurse named Brendan Quinn to use as a rehabilitation clinic. But the clinic, which was frequented by the late Amy Winehouse, was closed by the Care Quality Commission in 2010.

Since then, the owner has quietly turned the island into both a rural retreat and a party spot, with worthwhile activities such as cycling, croquet and berry picking. Celebrities including Poppy Delevigne, Sienna Miller and Jaime Winston have all been spotted partying on the island, while films including The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe and The Third Day, starring Jude Law, have all been filmed there.

Many famous singers and bands have also visited Osean for work, with two state-of-the-art recording studios on the island. Rihanna, Georga Ezra and The Weeknd have all used the studios, while Stormzy recently stayed on the island to record his latest album. He said during a radio interview:

Once you’re on the island, you’re basically stuck there, and we did a lot of the album there. It was a very surreal, spiritual experience when people talk about their spiritual experiences, it’s like far from fairy tales, but for everyone who was there, we prayed together, we would play football together, we would laugh, we would talk . And these were some of the best musicians in the world, and they are some of the best producers in the world and some of the best artists in the world.

While the island is private, you can stay there if you book an island stay with rooms from £300 a night. There are a number of houses across the island for different group sizes, but the largest is the Manor House which sleeps 20 and the Captain’s House which sleeps 16. There are also several smaller properties that form a sleepy village in the center of the island such as one bedroom confectionary and four bedroom penthouse.