Henley On Thames, Riverside c.1955

Photo ref: H73029

More about this scene

The 1870 view of the bridge is particularly interesting, for it shows the Berkshire bank before the spread of late Victorian developments that brought large houses and villas to the Berkshire hillside, and of course, before the Leander Clubhouse by the river, the 'Pink Palace', was built. We can see the Carpenters Arms pub and Thames House behind it on the right; the former was demolished to make way for the present Henley Royal Regatta headquarters building, an exciting design by Terry Farrell, which opened in 1986. The Leander Rowing Club had its origins in 1818 further downstream in Putney, where the early 19th-century sporting fraternity gambled on teams of oarsmen. It is regarded as the oldest rowing club in the world, and has an exclusive membership of exceptional oarsmen, past and present. Leander took part in the regatta from 1840 on, winning very frequently indeed; from 1890 it had an enclosure on Temple Island, at the Regatta start. The town council then offered the club a lease on the Nook Enclosure on the Berkshire bank near the bridge at £25 per annum rent, on condition that their clubhouse was built and occupied by 24 June 1898. The clubhouse, which also had bedrooms, was completed before that date. It was soon nicknamed the 'Pink Palace', and has been an important riverside feature ever since.