Kingston Rowing Club (KRC) is a

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

club in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

founded in 1858 and a member club of

British Rowing British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representin ...

. The club is located 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 ...

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

, downstream and north-east of Kingston Bridge and

Kingston Railway Bridge Kingston Railway Bridge in Kingston upon Thames, London, crosses the River Thames on the reach above Teddington Lock. It carries the Kingston Loop Line train service (for passengers only) from London Waterloo station, where the majority of serv ...

. On a long wide stretch, its rowers and scullers have the final and the second longest section of the weir-controlled river. Kingston have produced a significant list of international level oarsmen and oarswomen throughout its history and has won events at the

British Rowing Championships The British Rowing Championships usually take place every year. The event is held at the National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont (Nottingham) with occasional championships held at the Strathclyde Country Park. The championships original ...

and

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

through the years. Kingston Rowing Club is the supporting club for

Kingston Regatta Kingston Regatta is a rowing regatta, on the River Thames in England which takes place at Kingston upon Thames, Surrey on the reach above Teddington Lock. The regatta takes place in July and forms part of the Kingston River Festival. It attra ...

which is held above Kingston Bridge. Kingston organises Kingston Head of the River Race which is a warm-up for the national

Head of the River Race The Head of the River Race (HORR) is an against-the-clock ('processional') sport rowing, rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England between eights, other such races being the Schools' Head of the River Race, Women's Head of ...

on the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

on the following weekend.

History

The club started at Messenger's Boathouse, Kingston and was housed there for three years before moving upstream. From 1861 to 1935 the club was based above the bridges on

Raven's Ait Raven's Ait is an ait (island) in the Thames between Surbiton, Kingston and Hampton Court Park in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London, England, in the reach of the river above Teddington Lock. Used as a boating training centre ...

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

to the south. In 1935 the club moved downstream to premises known as the Albany Boathouse then moved to its purpose-built facilities in

Canbury Gardens Canbury Gardens is a public space in the Canbury district of Kingston upon Thames, along the Lower Ham Road, covering 14½ acres area between the road and the towpath along the River Thames, downstream from Kingston Railway Bridge. History In ...

in 1968.

Notable members

Edward Corrie Edward Lyall Corrie (January 1848 - 1931) was an English rower who won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta three times. Corrie was born in Liverpool, the son of Edgar Corrie, a merchant, and his wife Helen. Corrie moved to London where he ...

Andy Holmes Andrew John Holmes (15 October 1959 – 24 October 2010)Gilbert Kennedy *

Courtenay Knollys Sir Clement Courtenay Knollys (1849 – 16 December 1905) was a British rower and colonial administrator and governor. Knollys was the son of Rev. Erskine Knollys and his wife Caroline Augusta North. His father was rector at Quedgeley, Gloucester ...

Dick Offer Richard Frederick Offer (1909 – 6 February 2007) was an English rower who won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta and a silver medal at the 1938 British Empire Games. Offer was born at Hampton Wick, the son of Henry John Offer and hi ...

Jack Offer John Sidney Offer (1908–1985) was an English rower who won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta and a silver medal at the 1938 British Empire Games. Offer was born at Hampton Wick, the son of Henry John Offer and his wife Vera Jennie ...

Rebecca Romero Rebecca Jayne Romero, MBE (born 24 January 1980) is an English sportswoman, a former World Champion and Olympic Games silver medallist at rowing, and a former World champion and an Olympic champion track cyclist. Early life and education Romero ...

* Pongo Scarf VC *

R C Sherriff Robert Cedric Sherriff, FSA, FRSL (6 June 1896 – 13 November 1975) was an English writer best known for his play ''Journey's End'', which was based on his experiences as an army officer in the First World War. He wrote several plays, many nov ...

Denis Spotswood Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Denis Frank Spotswood, (26 September 1916 – 11 November 2001) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. He fought in the Second World War as a flying boat pilot and then as a coastal reconnaissance squadr ...

* A A Stuart * Douglas Stuart *

Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, numerous pantomim ...

* Kieran West * Dinghy Young DFC*

Facilities

Kingston Rowing Club Boathouse, Canbury Gardens (geograph 2140699)

The club is the

racing shell In watercraft, a racing shell (also referred to as just a ''fine boat'' (UK) or just ''shell'') is an extremely narrow, and often comparatively long, rowing boat specifically designed for racing or exercise. It is outfitted with long oars, outrigg ...

rowing club in Kingston upon Thames, but also provides training boats for less competitive rowing. It is on the ''Kingston Reach'' which runs between

Molesey Lock Molesey Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England at East Molesey, Surrey on the right bank. The lock was built by the City of London Corporation in 1815 and was rebuilt by the Thames Conservancy in 1906. It is the second longest on the ri ...

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...

down to

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three lock (water transport), locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham, London, Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first buil ...

; The reach is a long V-shaped stretch of the Thames and is the final and second longest section of the River Thames — the longest reach being Wallingford reach at in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

.Cruising guide of the Thames
Visit Thames. Accessed 3 June 2015. It shares the long, wide stretch with three sailing clubs upstream and downstream, the

Royal Canoe Club The Royal Canoe Club (RCC), founded in 1866, is the oldest canoe club in the world and received royal patronage in the 19th century. The club promotes canoeing and kayaking, focusing on flatwater, sprint and marathon disciplines. Members of the clu ...

(and

The Skiff Club The Skiff Club is the oldest skiff and punting club in existence, having been founded in 1895. It is based on the River Thames in London, on the Middlesex bank between Teddington Lock and Kingston upon Thames. The Club supports two traditional ...

Walbrook Rowing Club Walbrook Rowing Club, colloquially sometimes named Teddington Rowing Club, is a rowing club, on the River Thames in England on the Middlesex bank 800 metres above Teddington Lock next to Trowlock Island, Teddington. It is the lowest club on the ...

(the rowing club of

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

), and school clubs of

Tiffin Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...

, Kingston Grammar, and Surbiton High schools.

Kingston Students Rowing Club

Kingston Students Rowing Club (KSRC) was founded in 1972 as the Kingston Polytechnic Boat Club (KPBC). After 1992, Kingston Polytechnic was granted university status and the club changed its name to Kingston University Boat Club (KUBC). In 2011, Kingston University Boat Club (KUBC) became Kingston Students Rowing Club (KSRC). KRC took over the training and coaching from

Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

, maintain its fleet of boats and acquired its launches. University students receive automatic membership of KRC and still represent the university at the

British Universities and Colleges Sport British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

(BUCS) Regatta and in the University Indoor Rowing Series.

Annual events

The club organises Kingston Head of the River Race which is a warm-up for the national

on the

on the following weekend. The organisation is associated with Kingston Regatta (formerly Kingston Amateur Regatta) since the club's founding – the regatta predates it by a year. The club has a regular social calendar and

Remenham Club The Remenham Club is a private members club near the village of Remenham on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames near Henley-on-Thames, on the reach of the river that plays host to the annual Henley Royal Regatta. It was formed in 1909 by ...

rules entitle all established members to join to the social club which is at

Henley on Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bucking ...

, having one of its course-side venues, in the past having contributed to its funds in this case as a founder member.

Honours

Henley Royal Regatta

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Recent British champions

c-composite

References

External links

*
Kingston Rowing Club official website
{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Sports clubs established in 1858 Rowing clubs of the River Thames Sport in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Remenham Club Founding Clubs