Monmouth Rowing Club is located on the banks of the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

of the historic county of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The club is affiliated with the Welsh Amateur Rowing Association (WARA) and hosts several annually organised race events.

Location

Monmouth is the furthest south of the three rowing clubs on the River Wye; the other two being at

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

and

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Fore ...

. The boathouse is sited on the western bank of the river. All rowing activities take place upstream of the 17th-century

Wye Bridge The Severn Bridge () is a Controlled-access highway, motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn crossing, Severn road crossi ...

and during the summer are limited to the stretch of river between Monmouth and Hadnock. During times of higher river levels, typically over the winter months, it is possible to row 9 km upstream to the

Symonds Yat Symonds Yat is a village in the Wye Valley in the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and a popular tourist destination. It straddles the River Wye, and is within a few miles of Monmouthshire and the Welsh border. The two ...

rapids.

Monmouth School Monmouth School was a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school, boarding and day school, day school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a beques ...

boathouse stands on the opposite bank to the town club.

History

Mentions of an original Monmouth Rowing Club existed in the 1870s, with results recorded from 1875 to 1884. The club returned from 1887 to 1888, following a meeting at the King's Head and a further mention followed in 1910, when the club competed at the Ross Regatta. It is not known if the current club is connected to the original club in any way because it was thought that it had been founded in 1929 but uncovering of documents indicate an earlier date in mid-1928. Originally, the club leased an existing warehouse to act as a boathouse until the mid-1960s when the current building was erected. The clubhouse, gym and changing rooms attached to the boathouse were extended and renovated in 1995. The new facilities were officially opened by

Steve Redgrave Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds ...

. Currently, the Monmouth Rowing Club boathouse also plays host to boats and equipment from

Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls was a boarding and day private school in Monmouth, Wales. Established by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in 1892, in June 2022 the Haberdashers began a consultation on proposals to merge the school ...

Rowing Club (founded 1990) and

Monmouth Comprehensive School Monmouth Comprehensive School () is a comprehensive secondary school for pupils aged 11–18, situated in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales. History The school was established in 1903 when it was known as William Jones Elementary School. This sand ...

Boat Club (founded 1992). Monmouth Rowing Club c

Racing at Monmouth

Traditionally, Monmouth summer

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 wa ...

has been held on the Sunday of the Spring Bank Holiday in late May with crews racing side by side over a straight course (seniors) or (veterans and juniors). In recent years a sprint regatta held over has been added to the programme on the Saturday of the same weekend. Whilst multi-lane regattas, held on lakes and purpose built courses, have increased in popularity over recent years, Monmouth regatta still attracts a substantial number of entries (approx 400 boats) on both days, year on year. Outside of the regatta season, Monmouth hosts two main Head of the River races: the Autumn Head, at the end of September, and the Winter Head in mid December. These are timed, processional races typically held over , although when conditions allow the course may be lengthened to approximately .

Recent successes

Monmouth has developed a particularly strong men's veteran squad in recent years, culminating in their winning 4 titles at the National Veteran Rowing Championships of Great Britain in June 2009

Honours

British champions

References

{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Rowing clubs in Wales Sports clubs and teams established in 1928

Rowing club A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of rowing. Rowing clubs are usually near a body of water, either natural or artificial, that is large enough for maneuvering the rowing boats. Clubs usually have a boathouse with racks t ...

River Wye 1928 establishments in Wales Rowing clubs of the River Wye