Globe Rowing Club is a community rowing club in Greenwich in the South East of London, England. Established in 1923, the club house and boat house are based on Crane Street in the historic centre of Greenwich, as part of the Trafalgar Rowing Trust.[1][2] Its crews use the River Thames and the London Regatta Centre at the Royal Docks for water outings. The club admits male and female rowers of all ages, but is particularly known for its high performance junior programme although its senior programme has made major headway in recent times.

Globe Rowing Club
Image showing the rowing club's blade colours
LocationGreenwich, London, England
Coordinates51°29′13″N 0°00′04″E / 51.487°N 0.001°E / 51.487; 0.001
Home waterThe Tideway (River Thames) and Royal Docks, North Woolwich
Founded1923
AffiliationsBritish Rowing
boat code: GLB
Websitewww.globerowingclub.co.uk

History

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The rowing club was originally established at J. Stone & Co's engineering works in Deptford's Arklow Road and was called Stones Rowing Club, with membership restricted to company employees.[3]

In the first years after the club was established, the boats used were heavy Clinker fours,[4] hired from local waterman in East Greenwich and were used mainly on Sunday mornings. This was found to be cost prohibitive and, in time, the club applied to Stone's engineering works for a grant to purchase new equipment. This was refused, and as a result the club broke away from the works and set up independently to attract new members from elsewhere, with headquarters in the nearby Lord Clyde public house (western end of Clyde Street). The club was hence known as the Clyde Rowing Club.

 
Globe Rowing Club – Coxed Clinker Four on the Tideway – date unknown

During the mid-1930s, the headquarters were moved to another public house, The Globe on Royal Hill in Greenwich (demolished c. 1938), from which the rowing club took its current name, Globe Rowing Club. The club also had a headquarters (1947) at the nearby Mitre public house in Greenwich;[5] and for a time used a decommissioned landing craft moored opposite the Union Tavern (today The Cutty Sark) at Ballast Quay.[3]

Globe was only the second club in East London after Curlew Rowing Club to hold club regattas, with the earliest taking place shortly after the end of the Second World War, the participants being watermen working on nearby Thames shuttles and barges.[6] The club was also the first rowing club in East London to use an eight.[7]

In August 1981, members of Globe Rowing Club set a Guinness World Record for "The greatest distance for paddling a hand propelled bath tub in 24 hr...by a team of 25" The record distance set was "60 miles 88 yd".[8]

In 2006, Greenwich Council granted permission, with contributions from Sport England, and the Trafalgar 2001 Trust Ltd for the club to develop the facilities on the corner of Crane Street and Eastney Street, creating a heated, lit boathouse, indoor training room and clubhouse known as the Trafalgar Rowing Centre.[9][10]

In the early 2010s, Globe's Junior section began a partnership with non-profit organisation London Youth Rowing, to bring indoor and water rowing to increase participation in the sport and allow those from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate.[11] Many of the junior members who have gone on to achieve national and international rowing success have done so as a result of the partnership with LYR.[12]

After the pandemic, in 2020, Globe hired Maurice Coughlan who had previously only worked with the Junior Squad as an external coach to be their Director of Rowing. In the next few years, a performance squad was founded for the seniors leading to several Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women's Regatta qualifications and the junior success continuing culminating in the winning of the Nina Padwick Trophy at HWR in 2022.

Notable results

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The club has won eight gold medals at the British Rowing Championships. The Junior section of Globe Rowing Club achieved national and international attention in the 2015–2018 quadrennium for a series of national[13] and international medal wins and the unprecedented inclusion of 6 junior globe members in the Great British rowing trial squad.[14][15]

In 2022 Globe won its first Henley Womens' Regatta title in the Nina Padwick Trophy (WJ16 4x-)[16], The Senior squad has also progressed rapidly through the 2020s with regular qualification to Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women's Regatta

Notable results include:

2024: Home International Regatta: WJ1x wins in A and B races and win in the JW4x-

2024: Henley Women's Regatta: Chairman's Trophy W4x- win vs Bournemouth University

2022: Pairs Head: Intermediate W2x- win

2022: Henley Women's Regatta: Winners of the Nina Padwick Trophy JW16 4x-

2021: Henley Royal Regatta: Wyfold Challenge Cup 4- win vs Broxborune RC

2019: Metropolitan Regatta Op1x win (Tadas Svetikas)

2017 Henley Royal Regatta – Junior Men's 4x qualify to the heats of the Fawley Challenge Cup and beat Lea Rowing Club[17]

2017: Coupe de la Jeunesse – Callum Sullivan and Jake Offiler: part of the victorious Great British team.[18]

Notable members

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Calum Sullivan – Winner of the 8+ 2021 World Rowing U23 Championship,[19] additionally he was Silver medalist at the same event in the 4- as a last minute sub-in.

Calum was President of and crew member of the winning Cambridge crew in the the Boat Race 2021 member of the winning Cambridge crew in the Boat Race 2019,[20] member of the winning Cambridge reserve boat crew in the Boat Race 2018,[21] 2017 Coupe de la Jeunesse team member.[22]

In 2017, Globe Junior Julia Olawumi became the first rower from the club to commit to an NCAA Division 1 school for rowing choosing the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[23]

Honours

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British champions

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Year Winning crew/s
1998 Women L2-[24]
1999 Women L4-[25]
2001 Women L2-[26]
2002 Women 8+[27]
2004 Women 2-[28]
2014 Women J15 2x[29]
2017 Open J15 1x[30]
2018 Open J16 2x[31]
2022 Open J15 2x


References

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  1. ^ "Curlew Rowing Club – History".
  2. ^ "Trafalgar Rowing Trust website". 25 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Globe Rowing Club History".
  4. ^ Rackley, Adam (2014). Salt, Sweat, Tears: The Men Who Rowed the Oceans. Penguin Books Limited. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-241-96704-1.
  5. ^ "Globe Rowing Club Crouch Fours Programme".
  6. ^ "Civil Service World – Globe Rowing background". 24 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Globe Rowing Club Eight".
  8. ^ McWhirter, Norris; Matthews, Peter (1983). Guinness book of records. Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 978-0-85112-260-1.
  9. ^ "Greenwich Rowing Case Study" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Trafalgar Rowing Centre".
  11. ^ "London Youth Rowing Mission statement".
  12. ^ "Youth Rowing". December 2017.
  13. ^ "National Schools regatta – results". 9 June 2017.
  14. ^ "LYR GB Trials".
  15. ^ "National Schools Regatta". 9 June 2016.
  16. ^ https://plus.britishrowing.org/2022/06/23/first-time-winners-at-record-henley-womens-regatta/
  17. ^ "Henley Royal Regatta".
  18. ^ "British Rowing – 2017 Coupe de la Jeunesse team news". 24 July 2017.
  19. ^ https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/2021_World_Rowing_U23_Championships
  20. ^ "Boat Race 2019 crew announcement: Cambridge University and Oxford University name men's and women's crews". 16 March 2019.
  21. ^ "CUBC Boat Race Triumph".
  22. ^ "Great Britain team for Coupe de la Jeunesse announced". 24 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Tulsa Athletics – rowing recruits".
  24. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 20 July 1998, p. 36". The Times. 20 July 1998. p. 36.
  25. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 19 July 1999, p. 40". The Times. 19 July 1999. p. 40.
  26. ^ ""The Daily results service." Times, 23 July 2001, p. 10". The Times. 23 July 2001. pp. 10[S].
  27. ^ ""The results service." Times, 22 July 2002, p. 26". The Times. 22 July 2002. p. 26.
  28. ^ ""The Results Service." Times, 19 July 2004, p. 28". The Times. 19 July 2004. p. 28.
  29. ^ "Juniors defy weather to flourish at Brit Champs". British Rowing. 21 July 2014.
  30. ^ "2017 British Rowing Junior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.
  31. ^ "2018 British Rowing Junior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.
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