Peterhouse Boat Club
CUCBC | |
Website | www |
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Notable members | |
Peterhouse Boat Club is the
History
Peterhouse Boat Club was founded on 29 April 1828 as St Peter's College Boat Club, and first raced in Cambridge University Bumps on 2 May 1828. The club went Head of the River the following year, before removing itself from the start order. The club's history became more formal in 1836, as the minute books from that year exist.[2] At this point there were both rowing, and non-rowing members and the club had as much a social purpose as competitive.[2] The club first purchased a boat in 1839, having previously hired craft.[3] Peterhouse Boat Club returned to Head in 1842. While an undergraduate at the college, the later Lord Kelvin rowed for the club for one term at the end of his second year.[4]
The club was one of the first Cambridge colleges to hire a professional coach, paying James Parish of Leander Club £10 in 1846.[5] In 1847, Andrew Fairbairn joined the club, and was later to contribute to its finances.[6] The Club's name was officially changed to Peterhouse Boat Club in Michaelmas Term 1872.[1] In 1925, the club had some coaching from Steve Fairbairn.[7] The following year, the club sent a crew to Henley Royal Regatta for the first time, entering the Thames Challenge Cup.[8]
While Peterhouse is the smallest of all of the colleges of
In 1948, the Irish Olympian Danny Taylor was a coach while he lectured at Peterhouse.[9] Distinguished coaches since then have included the double Olympic gold-medallist James Cracknell, who rowed in the Peterhouse May Bumps VIII of 2019.[10]
A women's crew did not appear until 1986[11] and has remained in the 2nd division for most of the time since then in both the Lent and May Bumps, although the 1st women's VIII did succeed in breaking into the 1st division in the May Bumps in 2002 for the first time. In 1986, the Peterhouse 1st women's VIII managed the first ever quadruple over-bump in the history of racing in the May Bumps when they caught Clare III to rise 9 positions in a single day.[12]
During World War II, the college hosted members of the London School of Economics, who rowed in the Boat Club's shells during that time.[13]
Boathouse
Peterhouse owns its own boathouse. The current building being the second boathouse to be built on the land. The first dated to 1897 and cost £880, including £280 for the land.
Club Colours and Kit
The first reference to the club's colour of blue comes in a minute from 21 March 1838, but the colour may have been settled upon earlier.[3]
Peterhouse rows with royal blue blades with two vertical white stripes.[15]
The club has different ties and blazers for its various crews. The tie for the first boat features a royal blue background, with a repeating pattern of three stripes, the middle one thinner than the outer ones.[7] The blazer for first May colours is described as being a "blue blazer edged with 3/4-inch white silk ribbon and mitre and cross keys in silver on pocket".[16] Blazer buttons have had two designs, the earlier one with a design of "St Peter's Boat Club" in a ribbon, around crossed keys, and a second one, used after the club was renamed in 1873 with a design of "Pet. Coll. Cam" below a shield with "BC" and crossed keys.[17]
Famous Members
A short list of famous members:
- R H Cobbold member of the Cambridge Blue Boat in the Boat Race 1841 and the Boat Race 1842
- James Mason[8]
- Lord Kelvin[18]
- Matthew Baillie Begbie[3]
- Kevin Whyman, aviator and cox of the Cambridge Blue Boat in the Boat Race 1996
Olympians:
- James Cracknell, Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics
- Thomas George (rower), bronze medallist for Great Britain in the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Oliver Wynne-Griffith, bronze medallist for Great Britain in the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Michael Hart, silver medallist for Great Britain in the 1976 Summer Olympics
- Tom Askwith, British Olympian at the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games
- Sebastian Thormann, German Olympian in the 2004 Summer Olympics, member of the Cambridge Blue Boat in the Boat Race 2006
- Stefan Forster, German Olympian in the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Natan Węgrzycki-Szymczyk, Polish sculler in the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Danny Taylor (rower), Irish Olympian in the 1948 Summer Olympics
Honours
Henley Royal Regatta
Year | Races won |
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1853 | Diamond Challenge Sculls |
1933 | Diamond Challenge Sculls |
1956 | Ladies' Challenge Plate |
Notes
- ^ a b c Mayer 1978, p. 17.
- ^ a b Mayer 1978, p. 2.
- ^ a b c Mayer 1978, p. 3.
- ^ Thompson, Silvanus P. (1910). The life of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs. AMS Chelsea Publishing. p. 60.
- ^ Mayer 1978, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Mayer 1978, p. 9.
- ^ a b Mayer 1978, p. 26.
- ^ a b Mayer 1978, p. 27.
- ^ Munro, Ann (Autumn 2006). "Memorial Bench for Dr Danny Taylor inaugurated: 15 June 2006" (PDF). Petrean News. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Taylor, Mark (13 June 2019). "Magdalene impress on first night of May Bumps as James Cracknell races for Peterhouse". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-9538475-1-8.
- ^ Gutteridge, Matt (20 June 2018). "Bumps round-up: St John's and Jesus hold the headships". Varsity. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ISBN 1903942039.
- ^ Mayer 1978, p. 22.
- ^ "Peterhouse BC". British Rowing. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "The Constitution of the Peterhouse Boat Club". Peterhouse Boat Club. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-4452-2559-3.
- ISBN 0521261732.
References
- Mayer, Roland (1978). Peterhouse Boat Club 1828-1978. Peterhouse Boat Club. ISBN 0950618101.