Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club (JOG) is an English

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 ...

club based at Lancaster on the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and der ...

. Its origins date back to 1842 making it the fifth oldest surviving rowing club in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

outside the universities.

History

Lancaster Rowing Club was first founded in 1842 by the architect and engineer

Edmund Sharpe Edmund Sharpe (31 October 1809 – 8 May 1877) was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer. Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, he was educated first by his parents and then at schools locally and in ...

. with the help of his partner

Edward Graham Paley Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley (3 September 1823 – 23 January 1895), was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century. After leaving school in 1838, he went to La ...

. Sharpe lived in one of the largest riverside houses at Halton Hall and owned two 4-oared cutters, the 'Ariadne' and the 'Lotus', which he made over to the new rowing club for £40 on 20 September 1842. At the 1865 general election there were allegation of political bribery concerning members of the Lancaster Rowing Club. After a Royal Commission's investigation in 1867 the original Lancaster Rowing Club had ceased to exist and two new clubs were established: a new Lancaster Rowing Club (Tory) and John O'Gaunt Rowing Club (Liberal). Up to 1876 the Lancaster Rowing Club, with subscriptions as high as £70 saw increasing success and the boathouse was paid for. However John O'Gaunt Rowing Club on the other side of the river was less successful and had to remove their boats from their building as rental was too high. It was then that

James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton, (31 December 1842 – 27 May 1930) was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician. His family's business in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster produced oilcloth an ...

a leader of Lancaster's newfound manufacturing prosperity, came to the rescue. He bought all the riverside property on part of which stood the boathouse and leased the land and building to the club for 2/6d. (12.5p) per annum. By 1931 the fortunes of the two Clubs had reversed as the Lancaster RC building needed refurbishment and without the benefit of a benefactor the committee were 'unanimously of the opinion that under present conditions it is impossible to carry on'. The Lancaster Rowing Club then made all its stock available to JOG.

Associated clubs and organisations

Lancaster Schools' Rowing Association (LSRA) was first founded in 2010. The club was formed to enhance the rowing provision available to under-18s in Lancaster and the surrounding area. Facilities, equipment and coaching staff would primarily be provided by JOG. In the first two years British Rowing, Henley Stewards' and

Lancaster and Morecambe College Lancaster and Morecambe College is a further education College situated on Torrisholme Road, between Lancaster and Morecambe, Lancashire, England. The college has been providing the local area with access to further and higher education since ...

provided additional coaching staff, this was later taken over by JOG. Partner schools would provide land-based facilities and recruitment opportunities. Lancaster University Boat Club was first founded in 1964. They used JOG's facilities up until 1966 when they moved to the newly renovated station building at Halton. Lancaster Royal Grammar School Boat Club (LRGSBC) was first founded in 1948. They were tenants of JOG from 1985 to 2011. In 2011 LRGSBC relocated to Halton Army Training Camp. Lancaster Rowing Development Group was set up in 2014 with the primary aim of developing rowing in Lancaster. Organisations sitting on the group included: * John O'Gaunt Rowing Club * Lancaster Royal Grammar School * Lancaster University Boat Club * Lancaster Schools' Rowing Association * Lancaster University * Lancaster University Athletics' Union * Lancaster City Council * Lancashire Sports Partnership * British Rowing

Facilities

JOG has a boathouse located by

Skerton Skerton is an area in the north of Lancaster, Lancashire, England, on the other side of the River Lune to the castle. It was formerly a township, but in the late 1800s it was incorporated into Lancaster and the neighbouring townships. Skerton Bri ...

. On 5 December 2015 the building was flooded to the greatest extent in living memory (approximately 2 inches into the first floor). As a result of the flood considerable damage to boats meant that more than half of the fleet was either sent for repair or written off. By late 2016 the fleet was back up to full strength and works to improve the building were nearly completed. As a result of the flood a flood action plan was developed; this included storing boats off site from November to February and fast flood response to environment agency flood warnings.

Members

Membership is open to all except for those that have been refused membership 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 representi ...

. Honorary club members: *

Doug Melvin Robert Douglas Melvin (born August 8, 1952) is a Canadian front-office executive in Major League Baseball (MLB) who previously served as the general manager of the Texas Rangers (1995–2001) and Milwaukee Brewers (2002–2015). He is currently a ...

(two-time winner of the

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the S ...

) *

Scott Durant Scott David Durant (born 12 February 1988) is a British rower and gold medallist in the Men's Eight at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. Rowing career Durant started his rowing career at Lancaster Royal Grammar School (LRGS). He competed at the ...

(U23, European Championships, World Cups, World Championships and Rio Olympic Olympic Gold Medalist) *Mason Durant (U23, European Championships and World Cups) *Pauline Jansen (President and 6th at 1980 Olympics in the Women's 4+) *Neil Wigglesworth (long-time member and sports historian) *Colin McDermid (long-time member)

References

External links