Unofficially Thames Rowing Club

Give us your feedback!

Thames Rowing Club Boathouse Redevelopment Proposal
The club occupies a corner plot at the junction of Rotherwood Road and the Embankment at Putney.  It is a prime location with a wide river frontage.

The Clubhouse
The form and character of the building, set against the adjacent Victorian terraced houses, is both impressive and visually striking.  When the clubhouse was built, the veranda was open on three sides.  The veranda was partially enclosed prior to the 1950’s, and in the 1960’s the veranda was fully enclosed; the building has changed little since then.

The Burrough Building
The Burrough Building completed in 2005 has transformed the training facilities at the Club and provides the best gymnasium and indoor training spaces on the embankment. A large, light gymnasium has been created with a training tank planned on the ground floor.  An extensive boat repair workshop was also incorporated in this development.

The Future
The next challenge for Thames Rowing Club is to refurbish and extend the original boathouse to provide a building that has the visual presence on the Embankment that the original building once had and meets current standards of access and environment.

The current clubhouse has a number of problems.

• The entrance does not present a clear public entrance to the Club or provide disabled access.  Having addressed the need for a separate athletes’ entrance with the recent building works – which means no more muddy boots on the front stairs – ­ we can now improve the main entrance.

• The current arrangement of spaces means that the crew room and bar have no views of the river.  So, Club members often do not have access to the wonderful river views from the enclosed veranda.

• The function spaces (hall and clubroom) that do have access to the veranda and views do not make good use of them.

• The veranda itself is in a poor state of repair and not insulated and is problematic to use in winter. It is also isolated from the main social spaces in the Club.

• The building services require extensive upgrading as do the fire separation and alarms.

The existing clubhouse is to be remodelled and refurbished to provide contemporary facilities whilst retaining the character and stature of the existing building.

1. The bar is to be extended through to the river to give access to the views.  While much bigger in area the bar will retain the character of the veranda spaces and Fairbairn room. The bar will focus more on a café
restaurant atmosphere during the day to encourage juniors and families to feel welcome.

2. The main hall is to have improved access for the entrance hall and will permanently open onto the veranda.  This will allow functions to use the veranda more effectively.  A new external terrace on the front of the building will once again allow people to sit outside and watch the river.  The lighting and audiovisual facilities in the hall are to be replaced to provide a flexible function space.

3. The main Club entrance is to be extended.  The entrance doors will face towards the river.  Disabled wc and baby change facilities will be provided, accessed from the main entrance corridor.

4. The changing facilities are to be enlarged and rebuilt with a new entrance for athletes off Rotherwood
Road.  This will provide improved access to the Burrough Building and clear circulation around the site.

5.An extended house manager’s flat is to be provided at second floor level with a new access stair.

Options for the front of the boathouse:
Option 1:

Option 2:

More pictures.  Because we like nice pictures.

Give us your feedback!

Hard work by: