Thorne Water Sports

A Memory of Thorne.

One of the highlights of the year was the annual Thorne Water Sports held in the canal between Dunston's shipyard and the Canal Tavern. The event included swimming races and sculling races where competitors stood in a rowing boat and using one oar at the rear could generate consierable speed. The highlight of the day was the greasy pole competition. Here the object was to shin along a well-greased pole jutting out over the canal and grasp a flag stuck on the end. The first attempt was hard enough, but as the competitors became wetter it afforded the spectators more and more amusement