The Thames Club was an English rowing club based on the

Tideway The Tideway is the 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 ...

of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

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 (sport), rowing competition for men's eight (rowing), 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 cr ...

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

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

Francis Playford Francis Playford (c. 1825 – 1 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 in ...

, L. D. Strutton, and John Walmisley (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 (sport), rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the The Championship Course, Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the ...

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 The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through ...

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

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 River Thames, Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As of July 2023, Thames had w ...

" ''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