Walbrook Rowing Club, colloquially sometimes named Teddington Rowing Club, 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 ...

club, on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in England on the Middlesex bank 800 metres above

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first built in 1810. The limit of legal po ...

next to

Trowlock Island Trowlock Island is a residential island in the River Thames upstream of Teddington Lock on the non-tidal Kingston reach less than 10 metres from the northern bank, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Geography Teddin ...

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 me ...

. It is the lowest club on the weir-controlled Thames (i.e. not the

Tideway The Tideway is a part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London. Tidal activity Depending on ...

) and is the organising club for Teddington Head of the River Race held in November for all classes of

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, outrig ...

s. It shares, in its sport, the quite broad Kingston and Ditton Reach which ends 6.4 kilometres upstream at

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 ...

with Kingston Rowing Club, Tiffin, Tiffin Girls and Kingston Grammar Schools and has clubs in other watersports – principally canoeing, sailing and a skiff club.

History

The rowing club was originally established in Teddington in 1961 for BP employees, hence the club colours of green, yellow and black. In 1993 BP closed its Teddington leisure services site. Walbrook Rowing Club continued independently and acquired the site by pooling resources with 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 its associated watersports club,

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 ...

G. Dear ''One Hundred Years of Skiff Racing'' British Rowing Almanack - Amateur Rowing Association 2001 to become the rowing section of 'Walbrook and Royal Canoe Club (RCC)'. Within weeks Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Racing Club joined the combined organisation.

Membership

Walbook, early in the first decade of the 21st century, became on the transformation of its governing body, the recognised governing body in the sport, an open club to men and women of all backgrounds and members of Walbrook RC also become members of the RCC and have access to all the facilities on the site. Walbrook Rowing Club boat house is in a two-storey building (left of picture) and the Royal Canoe Club meanwhile reconstructed its clubhouse on Trowlock Island. The rowing club aims to teach beginners to row and has a junior section for ages 12–18. There are a variety of races available to members of the club, and committed members can be expecting to race every other week or so during regatta season.

Position

Walbrook is the first non-tidal club on the weir-controlled Thames. The key feature of the non-tidal Thames compared to complex rules along the

is that navigation is always on the right. In all but exceptional stream the water resembles the middle sections of a few wide rivers in the UK, being long weir-controlled rowing rivers in the UK capable of handing more than three large vessels side by side.

References

External links

Walbrook Rowing Club official website

The Skiff Club official website
{{LB Richmond Sports clubs and teams established in 1963 Rowing clubs of the River Thames Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

History

Membership

Position

See also

References

External links