Pengwern Boat Club is the community rowing club in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, UK. It was founded in 1871. The club is affiliated to

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 ...

, and its home water is on the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

around

, with rowing taking place from the

English Bridge The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening (re-using the original masonry) of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is ...

up to Berwick House, upstream of the town. The stretch of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

it occupies is shared with

Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club (RSSBC) is a rowing club based on the River Severn at Shrewsbury School Boathouse, Kingsland, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, West Midlands. History The boat club was founded in 1866 and is owned by Shrewsbury School w ...

(RSSBC).

History

The name "

Pengwern Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishm ...

" (recalling the lost early seat of the kings of

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

) was chosen because a "Shrewsbury Rowing Club" was already in existence by 1871, when the club was founded; the latter club was found to be so socially and culturally elitist - strictly applying an 'armature ethic' - that a more cosmopolitan club was required to promote an inclusive community for boating enthusiasts in Shrewsbury. Over time, this more diverse club was so successful in attracting and keeping members that the former club was totally supplanted by the turn of the twentieth century. Over the course of its history the club has maintained close links with the boat club of the RSSBC, which Wigglesworth has noted as being important in recruitment to the club. The club had been men-only from its foundation. However, the constitution was changed in the early 1970s to enable women to join.

Events

Shrewsbury Regatta

In early May every year the club hosts the Shrewsbury Regatta, attended by thousands of spectators and visitors, which is one of the oldest events in the rowing calendar, having first been held in 1871.

Head of the Severn

In 1936 of the "Head of the Severn", one of the earliest head of the river events, was instigated by the club; it was subsequently discontinued in the 1990s because of frequent floods and other practicalitie
The History of Pengwern BC – And the Friendship Between Two Rowing Historians

Club House

The first boathouse was jointly rented with Shrewsbury School on the current site. The current club house of brick and timber was built in 1881. It is now a Grade II listed building. The club house was expanded around 2013.

Squads

The club operates rowing squads for: * juniors, * seniors, and * masters. It also provides for adaptive rowing for those with physical disability, sensory, or learning impairment. In addition, at times agreed with the committee the runs Pengwern some of the lobby clubs (see below) have squads they run semi-autonomously.

Other events

The club hosts an annual pubs and clubs regatta as well as

coracle A coracle is a small, rounded, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales, and also in parts of the West Country and in Ireland, particularly the River Boyne, and in Scotland, particularly the River Spey. The word is also used of s ...

racing from time to time.

Lobby clubs

Harper_Dadams_womens_crew_at_Pengwern_training

Since 2014, Pengwern has hosted the water facilities for the Harper Adams University Rowing Club, which is a UK rowing university separately affiliated to

.British Rowing
Harper Adams University Rowing Club - British Rowing
accessdate: May 22, 2016 The club also hosts the rowing activities of Shrewsbury High School and other local schools.

Honours

British champions

References

External links

Boat Club home page

Pengwern Boat Club page with British RowingHarper Adams University Rowing Club Page with British RowingHarper Adams University Rowing Club page on the Students' Union website
{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Severn Sport in Shrewsbury Grade II listed buildings in Shropshire