The Thames Club was an English rowing club based on 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 ...

of 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 ...

that competed in the middle of the 19th century. The Thames Club was active in the 1840s and 1850s and its first major success was winning the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing ...

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 thr ...

in 1846 with the crew including E. Webb, J. S. Robinson,

Francis Playford Francis Playford (1825 – 01 January 1896) was a British rower who won the Wingfield Sculls in 1849 and the pairs oars at Henley Royal Regatta. Early life Playford was born at South Lambeth, London and was part of a rowing family which inc ...

, L. D. Strutton, and

John Walmisley John Richard Lambert Walmisley (1816–1890) was an English solicitor, Volunteer officer, and prominent rowing (sport), oarsman who twice won the Wingfield Sculls, the amateur sculling championship of the River Thames. Early life Walmisley was the ...

(stroke) with G. Walmisley (cox). Thames Club were runners up in the event in 1848. The club had a succession of wins in 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 ...

with John Walmisley in 1847 and 1848, Francis Playford in 1849 and E.G Peacock in 1852. At Henley, LD Bruce was runner up in the Silver Wherries with S Wallace in 1848. Peacock and Playford won the Silver Wherries in 1849 and Peacock won the Diamond Challenge Sculls in 1851. Thames came third in the

Stewards' Challenge Cup The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combi ...

in 1852. Thames was one of several clubs on the Tideway including

Wandle Club Wandle can mean: Rivers *River Wandle, also known as Wandle River, in South London, England **Wandle Valley Wetland **Wandle Trail **Wandle Park, Croydon *** Wandle Park tram stop **Wandle Park, Merton ***Wandle Meadow Nature Park *Wandle River ...

, Argonaut Club, St George's Club, Meteor Club and Petrel Club. In 1856 there was a move to combine these clubs into a single club that could compete successfully against the Oxford and Cambridge crews at Henley in the four and

eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the ...

. To achieve this, the

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete at ...

was formed.E D Brickwood ''Boat Racing or The Arts of Rowing and Training'' 1876
/ref> In 1862, the City of London Boat Club decided to rename itself "

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at H ...

" ''Sport, ancient and modern: Pastimes'', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton (1911), pp. 283-292. Date accessed: 25 February 2010
/ref> and sought and gained the permission of Frank Playford, the only traceable member of "The Thames Club" at the time.

References

{{United Kingdom rowing clubs History of rowing Tideway Rowing clubs Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Thames