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History of the Boat Club
A 200-Year Legacy
Founded around 1817, Christ Church Boat Club has a proud and unmatched history among the ranks of Oxford colleges. Each year its crews compete at varying levels in the Oxford Bumps races – the annual and historic league of college crews taking place in the spring and summer – and other competitions, both in Oxford and externally.
Some of our members are already experienced before they arrive but others, nowadays the great majority, learn their rowing up at the House. Novice programmes begin within a short time of arrival in Oxford, culminating in the Michaelmas Novice Regatta, a large event involving race-offs between novice crews of all the Oxford colleges.
The following Hilary term brings Torpids – an annual Bumps race in eights – and finally, in Trinity term, a second set of bumps racing in Eights Week, often attended by many thousands of spectators. The levels at which one can participate in rowing are broad: from Varsity representation at the annual Gemini Boat Race against Cambridge, through the levels of college rowing of a 1st VIII all the way down to a 4th, 5th, or even 6th VIII, composed of those who just wish to give rowing a try.
History of Christ Church Boat Club
While the exact date of the club’s foundation is obscure, it was certainly in existence by 1817 when the House crew first took ‘Head of the River,’ and as such is the year we mark the founding of the Boat Club.
It is believed that William Fitzgerald-de Ros, 22nd Baron de Ros of Helmsley, was instrumental in the founding of the Boat Club. Educated at Westminster between 1809 and 1815, de Ros rowed in a six-oared boat named the ‘Fly’ – the only Westminster School Boat. Upon coming up to the House, de Ros brought with him a four oared boat that he owned. This was one of three fours then on the Isis, the other two belonging to Brasenose and Jesus College.
De Ros’ four is mentioned by the Rev. W. K. R. Bedford, in his article ‘University Rowing Fifty Years Ago’ and is referred to as a ‘racing four’ established ‘between 1815 and 1820’. This racing four was nominally a Christ Church crew, however de Ros was known to borrow an Old Westminster from other colleges in order to fill places.
R.B. Bourne was a contemporary of de Ros, rowing alongside him in the racing four against the Eton Eight in 1819. His grandson, Gilbert C. Bourne (twice Oxford Blue and Oxford Coach for 17 years), in his 1925 book ‘A Text-book of Oarsmanship’ states that it was ‘under his [de Ros’] leadership that Christ Church went head of the River in 1817 and maintained their place in the two following years.’ Bourne goes on to describe de Ros as ‘Captain of the Christ Church boat.’
Although the exact nature of the founding of Christ Church Boat Club remains a mystery, we known that Christ Church boated a College VIII in 1817 and that William Fitzgerald de Ros was a driving force behind it.
After gaining Headship in 1817, and indeed holding it for a further 2 years, Christ Church had established its notoriety on the Isis.
In 1828, Christ Church men became the first Oxford crew to row against external competition when they raced Leander Club on the tideway in London. A year later, the first ever ‘Varsity Boat Race’ took place with Christ Church providing five of the men in the boat, including the Cox. Oxford University Boat Club won the inaugural race in 1829 by a margin of between two and four lengths – reports vary but the victory is officially recorded as ‘easily’. Christ Church’s legacy has persisted, and they have produced more men’s ‘Blues’ and winning more rowing trophies at Henley Royal Regatta than any other Oxford College.
On home turf, for the first half of the 19th century, Christ Church crews reigned supreme, holding headship for the majority of those years and in 1827, producing the first-ever men’s second crew. The 1860s onwards saw a relative decline in the rowing fortunes of the House, but by the end of the century in the 1890s, there were signs of revival. Thus, by the early 20th century, the Club had recovered its pre-eminence, regaining Headship and, in 1907, beating the Belgian National Eight to win the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal regatta.
After a period of success at the turn of the century, the House took a hit as the First World War took a terrible toll of House oarsmen. Indeed, it was not until the mid-1920s the Boat Club recovered, regaining the Headship in 1924 for four years. There was a period of slight decline in the 1930s and post-World War Two the House maintained its position in the top-half of the first division, only taking headship again in 1958.
The early 1970s again saw a resurgence of House dominance for both the 1st and 2nd VIII, the history of Eights for the succeeding twenty years was a battle between Christ Church and Oriel College for Headship. The mid-1990s saw the 1st VIII drop to its lowest ever position of 12th on the river (although still in the first division) and this was followed by the boat rising 10 places over the span of four years.
Female undergraduates were admitted to the House in 1980 and a year later in 1981, Christ Church boated its first ever Women’s VIII. As many colleges had become co-educational before Christ Church, there was a lot of ground for the women to make up, but within a decade they had entered the First Division in Summer VIIIs. In 1993 the women reached the First Division in Torpids for the first time.
Progress slowed during the final decade of the 20th Century, with the first boat maintaining its place at the bottom of Division One or top of Division Two. However, significant progress was made with lower boats with the 2nd VIII becoming an established feature of women’s rowing at Christ Church and the advent of third and even fourth boats.
Since 2002, the rapid progress of the women’s early years has been replicated, this time against much stiffer competition in Division One. In the five Summer VIIIs after 2002, the 1st Eight rose nearly an entire division and in 2006 they finished Second on the river, with only St. Edmund Hall standing between them and their first ever Headship. The women also made progress in Torpids, finishing Second on the river in 2009.
The first Boat Clubs were few in number and back in the early 19th century it was possible to choose simple designs and still be readily recognisable. In this way, the pioneer oarsmen of Oxford were able to adopt plain colours: green for Jesus, black for Brasenose, red for Exeter, and – of course – dark blue for the House.
After Christ Church’s overwhelming contribution to the victory of the first Varsity Race against Cambridge, it seemed only fitting that the Oxford University Boat Club adopt the colour of the first Headship club. Christ Church’s signature dark blue is shared with only the Oxford University Boat Club and First and Third Trinity, Cambridge, although the latter was once a source of friction between us and our sister college.
Christ Church’s earliest oarsmen rowed in white jerseys with a narrow blue horizontal stripe and a dark blue neckerchief. A uniform not dissimilar to that of the Royal Navy at the time – even down to the long white trousers. Another feature of early rowing kit was tall stove-pipe hats, something few nowadays would relish rowing in but what seemed to be all the rage in the 1820s!
The iconic ‘duster’ - a checked pattern in white and dark blue – appears to have originated in the mid-1820s when the crew dispensed with tall hats and adopted the ‘tam o’ shanter’ scotch bonnet worn by Caledonian farmers and soldiers. This was dark blue in colour, with a band around the rim diced in dark blue and white. The checked pattern soon became the model for the neckerchiefs and by the 1930s, for the shorts worn by the crews. These bright additions have been one of the most enduring and distinctive features of the Boat Club, with current members still rowing in the pattern today.
in 1897, the 1st VIII adopted a blazer – white, with dark blue Petersham trip and a red Cardinal’s hat pocket – which has been the current ever since. The 2nd VIII blazer mimics this without the blue trim and the 3rd VIII as the second, but with cloth covered white buttons. A blazer was designed for the 1st Torpid – blue with gilt buttons and a white Cardinal’s hat pocket – but this is not used nowadays.
The Boat Club flag is derived from the Wolsey/Ufford shield on the College Arms and is dark blue, quartered by a plain white cross. This flag was once flown at the top of a pole on the Head of the River Barge in order to signify the finishing order of the crews in bumps races. Nowadays, it adorns the Boat House during Torpids and Summer VIIIs weeks and for various crew photographs
Since 1908, the House has had 15 Olympians rowing in a variety of events, the most recent being Ollie Cook, who represented Team GB at Tokyo 2020, coming 4th in the Men’s Coxless Four event. Ollie rowed in 6 Seat of the 2017 Headship winning 1st VIII.
Another 1st VIII 6 seat was Charlie Cole, who rowed for the House in 2008 before representing the USA at London 2012. Charlie also raced in the winning 2008 Oxford Blue boat against Cambridge. After winning bonze in the Men’s Coxless Fours event, Charlie said ‘We were pleased with the result and I was happy to be representing Oxford and the ChChBC on rowing’s biggest stage.’
Charlie and Ollie joined 13 other House Olympians, dating back to 1908: