The origin of rowing at King’s is difficult to trace, as organised games were a comparatively late Victorian concept, arrangements being, up to this point, on a very casual basis. The first mention of the ‘Boating Club’ was in the school magazine in 1864. Lack of funds seriously curtailed its activities, although an Old Boy, Leopold de Rothschild, did become a generous patron for a while.
The most recent boost to the Rowing Club has been the purchase of the Boathouse from Barclays Bank in 1993 (shown right)
Prior to this the Club had shared a boat bay at Kingston Rowing Club. This move to one of the prime boathouses on the Tideway has enabled the Club to more than double its membership, and extend rowing to boys in the Junior School. It has also meant that a small number of Old Boys have been able to row with us on occasions, and more recently Godolphin & Latymer have also had an opportunity to row.
The Boat Club has enjoyed outstanding success in the last few years, particularly in the younger age groups. Since 1989 King’s has won more than 17 Gold, 6 Silver and 9 Bronze medals at the National Schools’ Regatta. The club is still relatively small compared to the large boarding schools like Eton and Radley, but particularly since victory in the 1st 8s in 2004, KCSBC has grown not only in size but also in terms of performance.
