Misplaced Pages

Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club

Location	Isle of Dogs, London, England
Coordinates	51°29′12″N 0°0′36″W / 51.48667°N 0.01000°W / 51.48667; -0.01000 (Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club)
Home water	Tideway
Founded	1845
Former names	The Blackwall Rowing and Athletic Club
Affiliations	British Rowing boat code - PBD
Website	www.pbdrc.co.uk
Events
Poplar Regatta
Notable members
Mark Hunter, Kenny Dwan, John Roberts, Colin Seymour

Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club is a rowing club in Millwall, on the River Thames in England, on the northern bank of the Thames opposite Greenwich on the Isle of Dogs, London.

Club history

Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club was founded in 1845 and is one of the oldest rowing clubs in Great Britain. It was established by a group of young lightermen as "The Blackwall Rowing and Athletic Club". Boats were carried to the river from a local pub.

After World War I there was an increase in membership from shipwrights, boilermakers and stevedores from the nearby shipyards and docks, although the depression in the 1930s led to reduced activity again.

The club reformed with its present name in 1935 and established a club and boat house on the present site in 1937: "the boys themselves constructed a launching ramp at Calder's Wharf", using North Greenwich railway station as a shelter for the boats.

In 1964 the club became aware of Greenwich Council’s plans to buy the existing site at Calders Wharf, which up until that point had been privately leased to the club, and relocate them to the South side of the river. The then club president, Dorothea (Dolly) Woodward Fisher O.B.E. negotiated with the council to reach agreement that they fund construction of a new building themselves under the council’s proviso that a gymnasium be provided and the club, "…should cater for the poor boys and men of Poplar, Blackwall, Stepney and surrounding Districts".

An appeal was launched to raise £75,000 for construction. Club president Mrs Woodward Fisher, who also ran a prominent lighterage business together with her late husband W. J. Woodward-Fisher, in Limehouse, took the helm in securing funds, "Mrs Fisher was wonderful and got all sorts of people on board. Ex Mayor of London Lord Rothchilds, Lord Cottesloe and many charities to help our cause."

Architects Forrest and Barber were commissioned to design the new club house, completed in 1970. The building has a strong modernist aesthetic, particularly visibly when seen from the South side of the river, characteristic of the architects’ previous projects which include the Harrison Gibson furniture showroom in Ilford, East London.

Activities

The club provides rowing and sculling for adult, adult beginner, junior, masters (mature categories). It has events for recreational and competitive sides of the sport.

The club house marks the finish of the annual Great River Race.

Taking the period since 2000 alone, PBDRC has seen members win more than 10 regattas and winter head races. The club has, at the top level, produced and enhanced international oarsmen and oarswomen: a few members of the club have represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games and World Championships in this period.

Competition history

In 1995 and 1996, juniors from the club (in a composite quad with the Windsor Boys' School) won the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Regatta.

In 2011, Ralph Humphrey and Robert Milligan's double won the World Masters in Poznan, Poland, the Britain Masters and the Henley Masters Veterans.

British champions

See also

• Rowing on the River Thames

References

1. "Raising £50,000 for East End Oarsmen". The Tatler. 13 August 1966. p. 38. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
2. "Dolly Fisher – 'Tugboat Annie of the Thames'". 19 February 2017.
3. Fisher, Dolly. "Humble Beginnings - Dolly Fisher" (PDF). pbdrc.co.uk. Poplar, Blackwall & District Rowing Club. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
4. Roberts, John. "PBDRC Our History. Poplar Blackwall & District Rowing Club". Docplayer.net. Emily James. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
5. Official public information British Rowing
6. Solem, Karen (1 March 1997). American Rower's Almanac 1997. The Rowers Almanac Inc. p. 310. ISBN 9780965132718.
7. "2011 Masters' Regatta Overall Results" (PDF). World Rowing. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
8. ^ "Saturday 4th June 2016 - Results" (PDF). Peterborough City Rowing Club. 4 June 2016.
9. "Sunday 5th June - Results" (PDF). Peterborough City Rowing Club. 5 June 2016.
10. ^ "Henley Masters Regatta 2016 Results" (PDF).
11. ^ "Euro Masters Regatta 2016 Munich RESULTS" (PDF). Rowing Club Port-Marly. 1 August 2016.
12. "2016 World Rowing Masters Regatta Copenhagen" (PDF).
13. ^ "Henley Sculls Head of the River Race - 5 Nov 2016". Henley Open Events. 5 November 2016.
14. Railton, Jim (21 July 1972). "Railton, Jim. "Nottingham in their Olympic stride." Times, 21 July 1972, p. 10". The Times. p. 10.
15. Railton, Jim (23 July 1973). "Railton, Jim. "Rowing." Times, 23 July 1973, p. 7". The Times. p. 7.
16. Railton, Jim (22 July 1974). "Railton, Jim. "Marriage of two quads promises something special for Lucerne." Times, 22 July 1974, p. 8". The Times. p. 8.
17. Railton, Jim (21 July 1975). "Railton, Jim. "Rowing." Times, 21 July 1975, p. 6". The Times. p. 6.
18. Railton, Jim (18 July 1977). "Railton, Jim. "Rowing." Times, 18 July 1977, p. 7". The Times. p. 7.
19. ""Rowing." Times, 21 July 1980, p. 12". The Times. 21 July 1980. p. 12.
20. Railton, Jim (19 July 1982). "Railton, Jim. "Rowing." Times, 19 July 1982, p. 15". The Times. p. 15.
21. Railton, Jim (18 July 1983). "Railton, Jim. "Problems for British selectors." Times, 18 July 1983, p. 19". The Times. p. 19.
22. ""For the Record." Times, 18 July 1994, p. 22". The Times. 18 July 1994. p. 22.
23. "Full archive of results". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017.
24. "2011 Championships - Results of Sunday Racing". British Rowing Championships. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016.

External links

• http://www.pbdrc.co.uk/ official website

v t e Tideway rowing clubs
Active, west to east:	Twickenham R.C. Team Keane Putney Town R.C. (in Mortlake) Mortlake Anglian & Alpha B.C. Clubs at Westminster University Boat House Quintin B.C. East India Club Rowing Section Grove Community Rowing Tideway Scullers School Thames Tradesmen's R.C. Clubs at Civil Service Boat House Barnes Bridge Ladies R.C. Cygnet R.C. Auriol Kensington R.C. Sons of the Thames Furnivall Sculling Club Fulham Reach B.C. Clubs at Barn Elms Boat House Parr's Priory R.C. Barn Elms R.C. Thames R.C. Vesta R.C. HSBC R.C. London R.C. Poplar Blackwall & District R.C. Clubs at Britannia Boat House Curlew R.C. Globe R.C.
Schools	Clubs at Westminster University Boat House Chiswick School Boat Club Kew House School Boat Club Dulwich College Boat Club Emanuel School Boat Club Godolphin and Latymer School Boat Club Latymer Upper School Boat Club London Oratory School Boat Club King's College School Boat Club St Paul's School Boat Club St Paul's Girls' School Boat Club Westminster School Boat Club
Universities and alumni in standard abbreviations	Imperial College B.C. alumni: Queen's Tower B.C. Imperial College School of Medicine B.C. LSE R.C. KCL B.C. Roehampton University R.C. Royal Free and UCL Medical School B.C. RVC B.C. St Bart's and Royal London Med. College B.C. St George's Med. School B.C. UCL B.C. UL B.C. alumni: Tyrian Club Westminster University B.C.
Former	Argonaut Club St George's Club Thames Club
Relocated	Leander Club (and hosts the re-established, intermittently competing Star & Arrow Club)
Tideway Rowing clubs

• Sports clubs and teams established in 1854
• Tideway Rowing clubs
• 1854 establishments in England
• Millwall
• Rowing clubs of the River Thames