Leander Club - History

History

Leander was founded on the Tideway in 1818 or 1819 by members of the old "Star" and "Arrow" Clubs, and membership was at first limited to sixteen. "The Star" and "the Arrow" died out sometime in the 1820s and Leander itself was in full swing by 1825 and by 1830 was looked upon as a well-known and long-established boat club.

In its early days, Leander was as much a social association as a competitive club and it was steered by a waterman. It was the first club to support young watermen and instituted a coat and badge for scullers. In 1831 Leander defeated Oxford in a race rowed from Hambleden Lock to Henley Bridge, but when it lost the match with Cambridge six years later, Lord Esher noted at a dinner that Leander was a London Club consisting of men who had never been at the University but ... were recognised throughout England, and perhaps everywhere in the world, as the finest rowers who had up to that time been seen. However he also noted that they were 'verging on being middle aged men.' Up until 1856 the number of members was limited to twenty-five men. After this date membership was increased to thirty-five and the limit finally abolished in 1862. In 1858 it began to recruit members from both the universities, but it was not until 1875 that had its first win at Henley with an eight consisting of one Oxford and seven Cambridge men, stroked by J. H. D. Goldie.

Its first home is assumed to have been Searle's yard, Stangate — on the south bank of the River Thames (on land currently occupied by St Thomas's Hospital). In 1860 the membership moved the club to Putney where a small piece of land was rented on which a tent was erected for housing boats. This land was bought by London Rowing Club in 1864 and is the site of LRC's current clubhouse. Leander were able to lease a piece of land adjoining and in 1866 started to construct a boathouse. Thirty years later, in 1897, the club purchased land in Henley-on-Thames and built its current clubhouse. The club's centre of gravity moved rapidly to Henley, although the Putney boathouse was retained until 1961.

For the first 179 years of its existence it was a men-only club, but opened its doors to women members in 1998, partly prompted by financial considerations, as the UK's Sports Council rules required organizations receiving funding to have an open membership policy.

Leander is one of only five clubs which retain the right to directly appoint representatives to the Council of British Rowing. The others are London Rowing Club, Thames Rowing Club, Oxford University Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club.