Chertsey & Shepperton Regatta is a

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England which takes place on and by

Dumsey Meadow Dumsey Meadow is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Chertsey and Shepperton in Surrey. It is the only piece of undeveloped water meadow unfenced by the river remaining on the River Thames below Caversham. This unimproved ...

near

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

History

The regatta was inaugurated in 1851 and is one of the oldest on the river. Early records are sparse. In two years the regatta was held upstream of

Chertsey Bridge Chertsey Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, connecting Chertsey to low-lying riverside meadows in Laleham, Surrey. It is downstream from the M3 motorway bridge over the Thames and is close to Chertsey Lock on the reach ...

. Since the 1920s, with one or two exceptions, the regatta has been held annually alongside Dumsey Meadow. The detailed course has varied between different points and directions. The competition is for

skiffing Skiffing refers to the sporting and leisure activity of rowing (or more correctly sculling) a Thames skiff. The skiff is a traditional hand built clinker-built wooden craft of a design which has been seen on the River Thames and other waterways ...

and punting. Since 2004

has in ecology been designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. After discourse with local authorities and

English Nature English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Environmen ...

, agreement was reached allowing the regatta to continue its partial use of the site for one day each year. In acknowledgement of the support given by

Spelthorne Borough Council Spelthorne may refer to: * Borough of Spelthorne, a local government district in the county of Surrey, England * Spelthorne (UK Parliament constituency), Surrey constituency in the British House of Commons * Spelthorne College, was a single-cam ...

who own the meadow, the name was modified to the Chertsey & Shepperton Regatta. The committee bought an adjacent field for parking in July 2008.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Chertsey Local
1851 establishments in England Regattas on the River Thames Sport in Surrey

History

See also

References

External links