Henley-on-Thames: Rowing Mecca of the World

Outside, the first snowstorm of the new year is blustering, enveloping my world in a blanket of white. So I’ve decided to add a little colour to the day and escape to a realm of blue. And I’m accomplishing this by paying a return visit to Henley-on-Thames: rowing Mecca of the world, as I see it. I visited this picturesque, British town this past summer, during my first post-COVID trip oversees. This sojourn to Henley was one of the highlights of a week-long, women’s rowing tour down the Thames. And the contrast with today’s weather could hardly be greater.

Heat Wave

For our tour from Oxford to Windsor took place during a rare event in England: a second summer heatwave. The sun shone hot and bright each day, with rarely a cloud in the sky. And the daytime temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius, making us wish for rain that never came. Regardless, our intrepid crew headed out on the Thames early each morning. We hugged the shoreline shade for as long as possible, then roasted in the sweltering heat for the remainder of the route. This was the climate in which we landed in Henley-on-Thames: rowing capital of the world, late one August afternoon.

The Royal Regatta

For Henley-on-Thames is home to the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta. This penultimate rowing event has been run annually, with few exceptions, here on this historic river, since 1839. It was blessed with the ‘royal’ title in 1851 when His Royal Highness Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, became its royal patron. The Royal Family has continued to support the ‘Henley’ ever since, renewing this Royal Patronage with the Accession of each new Monarch. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the new Regatta Headquarters located by Henley Bridge. I can only assume that the new King Charles II will continue this tradition.

I must admit, for all that I had heard about the Regatta, I had expected Henley-on-Thames to be a bustling metropolis. So I was somewhat surprised, yet delighted, to find a sleepy village filled with charming shops and flower-festooned window boxes. It seems that the growth of this bustling market town was severely halted with the building of the railway, which by-passed Henley. Fortunately, a branch line built in 1857 brought in tourism and turned the tide from trade to leisure here on the Thames.

Phyllis Court

In addition to the Regatta Headquarters, Henley-on-Thames’ rowing history has fostered several other notable buildings along the river. Phyllis Court is a beautiful, private members’ club that overlooks the finish line of the Henley Royal Regatta. It’s grand, Georgian club house is quite a contrast to the nearby humble Almshouses which date back to the 17th-century. This exclusive establishment is also home to the recreational Phyllis Court Rowing Club. We were fortunate to have a couple of their ladies join us on the water for a few days. And even more fortunate to have them arrange for us to store our boats on their grounds for our final night. I was curious to learn how this prestigious club had come by its name. A quick web search informed me that the original 1301 building on this site was the manor house of Henley-on-Thames and was known as Fillets Court. Interesting how words can change over time.

Leander

Across the river and a little ways upstream, sits another prestigious institution: Leander Club. Leander is the most successful rowing club in the world. Since 1908, and as of today, its athletes have won 127 Olympic and Paralympic medals. Leander is unique in that it focuses on training rowers with the potential to perform at an international level. The goal being to prepare them for selection for the British rowing team. And, as a feature of our Rowing The World tour, we had the opportunity to visit this venerable Henley-on-Thames rowing sanctuary. From the moment we walked through its pink hippopotamus-adorned gates, we avid recreational rowers were in awe.

The Pink Hippopotamus

You may wonder, as we did, why the hippopotamus? As we began our Leander tour, our club guide informed us that this is the fastest mammal in the water. It’s name literally translates to ‘water horse’. Thus, it’s a fitting representation of a high performance rowing club. And they wear it proudly. Both the logo and the colour. Pops of salmon pink adorn not only the walls of the club house but also the traditional formal wear of its rowers. And where, you ask, might one purchase one of these bespoke blazers? Well, at the local tailors, of course.We also learned that one does not have to be a rower to spend a night or two at Leander Club. In fact, the club offers 10 guest rooms for let. And each is sponsored by, named for, and decorated with mementos of, a university internationally renowned for its rowing program.

More Pink Power

Historically, Leander was slow in accepting women as full members, not doing so until 1998. So it was great to learn that since then, they have elected two female Captains. And it was just as wonderful to see a quad of young ladies out on the water and then later at the boathouse.

The Henley Women’s Regatta

As we waited in Leander’s lovely riverside garden, we were joined for a cocktail by former Olympian and World Champion, Miriam Luke (formerly Batten). And over dinner, she regaled us with stories of her life as a competitive rower. Between the years of 1990 and 2000, Miriam competed in three Olympics and eight World Championships. Her career culminated, alongside her sister Guin, in an Olympic silver medal in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls, in Sydney.

Miriam then went on to tell us what she had been up to for the past 10 years: serving as Chair of the Henley Women’s Regatta. Her enthusiasm for the sport of rowing shone through. And it was evident that she had successfully applied her creativity and passion to help grow this fledgling event. So much so that the Henley Royal Regatta has since invited her to be one of their Stewards. No small feat! And another piece of silver.

The River & Rowing

We found more historical colour further up river at the River & Rowing Museum. Here I discovered that Henley-on-Thames is the only place in Olympic history to host two regattas, in 1908 and 1948.

Continuing our stroll through the museum, my fellow ‘Blister Sisters’ and I, as members of the Hanlan Boat Club, were delighted to find a notable reference to our club’s colourful namesake, Ned Hanlan.

As we departed Henley-on-Thames the next morning, it was a thrill to board our rowing sculls, head back up river to the bridge, turn, and row the Henley Royal Regatta course! And before long, we were joined once more by some of the other River Thames boat traffic.

Explore more of the River Thames with a visit to historic Windsor in my post Saint George’s Chapel: The Final Resting Place of Queen Elizabeth II. Or take A Row Through Paris: La Traversée de Paris en Aviron.