Rare Programme from the first #Henley Regatta donated to River & Rowing Museum @river_rowing

Posted On 24th July 2012

Contact Kallaway for Images: jack.hickmott@kallaway.com

A fascinating artefact has been donated to the River & Rowing Museum documenting the first ever Henley Regatta, which took place on June 14 1839. This extremely rare programme – thought to be one of only a few left in existence – describes the order of the day, the colours of the participating crews and outlines the rules.

Capturing the essence of the early 1800s the document is an authentic product of the era – two-sided, printed by the local post office and advertising lithographic drawings of the winning regatta cups at two shillings a pair.

Donated by Thomas E. Weil, a passionate rowing memorabilia collector, the programme is in impeccable condition. Weil is a prominent and long-standing supporter and trustee of the River & Rowing Museum and has donated over 5,000 artefacts over the past 10 years. Weil bought the progamme from the late Hart Perry’s estate. Perry was a local Henley hero and the first American to be elected a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta. The money used to buy the programme was donated to the National Rowing Foundation where Perry was once Executive Director – making the whole acted an extremely charitable gesture. Many of his donations are highlighted in The Art of the Prize – Rowing prizes from the Thomas E Weil Collection in the Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery in the River & Rowing Museum (June 2012 – June 2013). The programme will be on display for the remainder of the exhibition.

The unique programme adds to the Museum’s world famous collection, which ranges from Stone Age tools to the latest in rowing technology.

Thomas E. Weil says:

It was a delight to be able to acquire a copy of the first Henley Regatta program, especially with such a distinguished provenance.  It was an even greater honour to bring it back to Henley, and place it in the River & Rowing Museum where this sheet celebrates the somewhat modest birth of what has become one of the most venerable events in the sport.

About the Henley 1839 programme:

When referring to the Order of Races the programme announces that:

“The first trial heat will commence at four o’clock precisely,
The second trial heat will follow immediately,
The final heat will take place at Seven o’clock precisely”

The programme also spells out the rules of the Regatta:

‘Previous to each Race, a Signal Gun will be fired at the Bridge to clear the course, another when the course is clear, a third at the island when the Boats start, and a fourth at the Bridge to announce that the race is ended’.

The two-sided race card was printed by Hickman and Kinch of Henley, and advertises lithographic drawings of the Cups at 2 shillings a pair, and the Henley Guide, also 2 shillings.

About the first Henley Regatta:

The first Henley Regatta was held on 14 June 1839, when a group of citizens offered a Grand Challenge Cup worth 100 guineas for eight-oared amateur crews and the Town Challenge Cup for local four-oared crews. They were inspired by the first Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race which took place at Henley in 1829 and a handful of matches that took place on the reach in the intervening years.

The Grand Challenge Cup attracted four entries – Brasenose College, Oxford; Trinity Boat Club, Cambridge; the Etonian Club of Oxford, and Wadham College, Oxford.

The Trinity men wore blue striped jerseys and trousers and rosettes of French blue. To get to the regatta they shipped their boat, the Black Prince (whose bow is on display in the Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery), to Oxford by road where they took part in the Summer Eights row-past before pulling down to Henley over two days.

They landed on Mr. Cooper’s lawn upstream of Henley Bridge, and put up at the Red Lion. A few days later they beat Wadham in their first race and, three hours later, became the first winners of the Grand when they defeated the Oxford Etonians.

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River & Rowing Museum, Mill Meadows, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 1BF

More about the River & Rowing Museum

Designed by David Chipperfield and located on the banks of the River Thames in Henley on Thames, the Museum celebrates and explores four core themes through a wide variety of exhibitions and events across four galleries and special exhibitions:

1. River Gallery: Using the Thames as a starting point, the Museum explores the environmental, ecological and social impacts of water and rivers across the world.
2. Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery: One of the world’s most significant collections of rowing memorabilia, charting the sport from ancient beginnings to present day is held at the Museum.  The sport is also celebrated through temporary exhibitions throughout the year.
3. Invesco Perpetual Henley Gallery: This historic town home to the Henley Royal Regatta and host to the Rowing competition in the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games has a colourful history dating back to the stone age all captured in a dedicated gallery.
4. The Wind in the Willows – hugely popular with children and families, this exhibition recreates the timeless E H Shepard illustrations from Kenneth Grahame’s famous novel, taking visitors on a journey through the world famous riverside tale of Mr Toad and his friends.