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 a ...

club, on 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 ...

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 powe ...

next to Trowlock Island,

Teddington Teddington is an affluent suburb of London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Historically an Civil parish#ancient parishes, ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and situated close to the border with Surrey, the district became ...

. It is the lowest club on the weir-controlled Thames (i.e. not the Tideway) 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 a ''fine boat'' (UK) or simply a ''shell'') is an extremely narrow, and often comparatively long, rowing boat specifically designed for Rowing (sport), racing or exercise. It is equipped with lon ...

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 (water transport), lock on the River Thames in England at East Molesey, Surrey on the bank (geography), right bank. The lock was built by the City of London Corporation in 1815 and was rebuilt by the Thames Conservancy i ...

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 and its associated watersports club, The Skiff ClubG. 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. Walbrook Rowing Club has been a major contender in the junior categories and has had success with their j15 boys in their 2024 season. This comes after their silver medal at the

National Schools' Regatta National Schools' Regatta is the largest rowing regatta for junior rowers in Great Britain. Held annually in May, the three day regatta offers events for junior rowers between the categories J14 and J18 (the number being the age group). Histo ...

in the J15 4x-, losing out on gold by 88 hundredths of a second. The same crew raced again against Windsor Boys' School Boat Club at the British Rowing Championships and won the gold medal race by a comfortable 11.28 seconds.

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 Tideway 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 handling more than three large vessels side by side.

Honours

British champions

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