A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



In 1878 the appearance at Henley of the 

 Shoewaecaemette Four, which lost the Stewards', 

 and of the Columbia crew, which won the 

 Visitors', brought up the question of foreign 

 entries. The result was the adoption of legisla- 

 tion with regard to foreign crews, more especially 

 with regard to the definition of an 'amateur.' 

 In this year was started a new race for fours 

 called the Public Schools Challenge Cup, to be 

 rowed on fixed seats ; Cheltenham beat Radley 

 in the final of the first race. In 1885 the 

 stewards very rightly discontinued this prize, 

 which was passed on to another meeting. 



The business of conducting the regatta became 

 heavier as more and more races were added, and 

 in 1 88 1 a committee of management was 

 appointed to deal with its affairs. A signifi- 

 cant tribute to the value of the work performed 

 by the Henley Committee was paid them by the 

 International Olympic Committee, who awarded 

 the Henley officials the cup allotted to that body 

 which had done most during the preceding year 

 for promoting the amateur sport of the world. 

 This valuable trophy was handed over to the 

 stewards during the regatta of 1907 by Lord 

 Desborough. The presentation of this cup, 

 which had only been awarded once before, 

 exemplified in a very striking way the grati- 

 tude felt by amateur oarsmen all over the 

 world to the Henley authorities, and it could not 

 have been made in a more appropriate year than 

 that in which English oarsmen had testified, by 

 the gift of a gold replica of the Grand Challenge 

 Cup, their appreciation of the long and arduous 

 services rendered by Mr. Herbert T. Steward in 

 perfecting every detail of the regatta. 



Another famous name in the annals of 

 Henley makes its appearance in 1885 ; in that 

 year Mr. Guy Nickalls first rowed for Eton, and 

 won the Ladies' Plate. In 1907 the same oars- 

 man was in the Magdalen crew which beat 

 Leander in the final of the Stewards' ; he had 

 not rowed in every regatta between those two 

 dates, but had taken part in thirteen successive 

 years. After apparently retiring in 1897 he 

 came out again with undiminished vigour and 

 success in 1905, 1906, and 1907. No one can 

 boast so fine a record of Henley prizes as 

 Mr. Guy Nickalls, who has also four times 

 held the amateur championship as winner of the 

 Wingfield Sculls, and has rowed five times in the 

 Oxford crew, being successful on two occasions 

 against Cambridge. 



By 1886 it had become necessary to extend 

 the regatta to three days, and twenty years later 

 four days were necessary to get through the 

 programme. It was in 1886 that the greatest 

 change in the course took place ; before that 

 year crews had to go round the point and finish 

 near Henley Bridge, giving a palpably unfair 

 advantage to the Berkshire shore ; in this year a 

 waterway was piled out of exactly the same 



length (i mile and 550 yards), but starting just 

 below the tail of the island and finishing at the 

 upper end of Phyllis Court Wall. This water- 

 way, which is about 1 50 ft. wide, remains the 

 course at the time of writing. The only other 

 necessary improvement was added when the 

 executive determined on the addition of long 

 booms between each post from start to finish. 

 This innovation has proved invaluable ; not only 

 does it keep the course clear of the vast crowd of 

 boats, it enables two races to be rowed within 

 the short interval of only five minutes whenever 

 necessary, and saves the spectators in boat, punt, 

 or canoe from the wash of the umpire's launch. 



The advantage of the Buckinghamshire shore 

 over the Berkshire station has always been a 

 matter for discussion, but as a matter of fact this 

 is not extraordinary, unless there happens to be 

 a very strong breeze ofF the Buckinghamshire 

 shore, when the boat on that station is able to 

 enjoy the shelter of the bushes. In 1906 a 

 year remarkable for fine weather and almost 

 perfect conditions the Buckinghamshire station 

 won thirty-one times and the Berkshire won 

 twenty-four times. In 1907 which was re- 

 markable for extraordinarily bad weather Buck- 

 inghamshire won thirty-five times and Berkshire 

 twenty-seven times. From these figures either 

 side can derive whatever arguments may suit 

 them. It may be added that the natural course 

 of the stream is direct from the bridge upon the 

 projecting wall of Phyllis Court grounds, nearly 

 opposite Poplar Point ; then obliquely towards 

 the gate below the point ; and then still more 

 obliquely and more quietly to the overhanging 

 trees near Fawley Court, leaving comparatively 

 dead water for some distance below the grounds 

 of Fawley Court. The stream becomes stronger 

 as it approaches the island, but is much sharper 

 on the Buckinghamshire side than in the Berk- 

 shire channel. 



In 1887 our present king and queen then 

 Prince and Princess of Wales visited the new 

 course with a large party of royalties. In 1894 

 the rules concerning amateurism and boat-racing 

 received a further most important revision. In 

 1 902, owing to the regretted retirement of 

 Colonel Frank Willan, captain of the Oxford 

 Four, which had beaten Harvard on the tide- 

 way, the present umpires Mr. Frederick Pitman, 

 the famous Cambridge stroke and sculler, and 

 Mr. W. A. L. Fletcher, D.S.O., of Oxford- 

 were appointed. The judge is Mr. Frederick 

 Fenner, who has probably held that office in 

 various races on the Thames longer than any 

 other living man. It was in 1902 that, in 

 pursuance of their resolute policy of keeping 

 rowing the purest sport in England, the Henley 

 stewards stopped professional coaching in all 

 except sculling races, in which such assistance is 

 usually essential during practice. But it should 

 be noted that Mr. Kelly, whose sculling record 



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