Carbon Tiger
Racing eight, prototype carbon fibre boat. This boat was designed by John Vigurs and moulded at British Aerospace, Weybridge, in 1976. It was tried by the British Olympic crew and their coach, Bob Janousek, at Thorpe Water Park and taken to the Olympic Games in Montreal under wraps. Equipment breakage caused the crew to distrust it, and it remained in reserve, The strength of its materials and the rigidity of the monocoque hull dispensed with a frame. Within a few years of its appearance, composite materials based on carbon replaced wood for racing boat construction.
Outriggers made by Dave Neaves.
The Henley Olympic Pair 1948
This coxless pair was built by George Sims of Putney and used by Ran Laurie and Jack Wilson to win the coxless pairs in the 1948 Olympic Regatta in Henley. Laurie and Wilson won the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta three weeks before the Olympics, having spent ten years in the Sudan without sitting in a boat since they first won the Goblets in 1938. They were both Cambridge Blues. The boat is rigged for bow to steer.
All-in-one worn by Guin Batten (bow) in the GB women's quad at the Sydney 2000 Olympics - it was the first ever GB women's all-in-one to cross the finish line in a medal-winning position.
An Olympic all-in-one does not normally have an embroidered badge stitched to the front. This one only does because the original GB flag design on the costume had the red and blue the wrong way round!
Henley Royal Regatta arm badge, probably used to identify an official.
Henley Regatta was established by a group of prominent local residents in 1839 to attract visitors to the town. They remembered the crowds of spectators who had gathered to see the first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race at Henley in 1829 and were concerned that other riverside towns had already established regattas.
When Prince Albert became patron of the regatta in 1851, it was renamed the Henley Royal Regatta. The new railway station opened in 1857, bringing even larger crowds of visitors.
To this day Henley Royal Regatta remains a stronghold of tradition and etiquette. At the same time, modern organisation ensures that world class rowers from many nations compete annually at Henley-on-Thames.
Eva
A Thames Steam Launch on permanent display in the Henley Gallery.
Eva is one of the earliest examples of a Victorian fast steam launch. She was designed and built by John I Thronycroft at Chuch Wharf, Chiswick. Of steel construction and with a non-condensing single cylinder engine, she was one of the fastest launches of her day with a top speed of 16.5 miles per hour - fast enough to keep up with the rowing eights!
Originally built as an umpire's launch for Henley Royal Regatta, Eva has also spent many years in private ownership where the saloon was added and the steering position relocated. The inevitable consequences of age meant that she fell into disrepair and in 1968 she was rescued by Graham Lindsay who started her restoration. This was carried out over many years by a number of different organisations, including Thornycroft's, Historic Steam Ltd., and Stanley and Thomas, Windsor.
Eva took part in the 150th Anniversary celebrations of Henley Royal Regatta in 1989, and finally came to rest at the River & Rowing Museum in 1996.
Eva's importance has been recognised with a place on the United Kingdom's National Register of Historic Vessels.
DVD - 'Harvard 1959 Undefeated Heavyweight Crew at the Henley Royal Regatta'.
Colour film, about 10 minutes running time. Filmed by Henry Swayze, DVD produced by Michael Sacca Productions, Vermont, USA.
Colour photocopy of 'The Henley on Thames Grand Regatta Chart' showing in a spiral form the winners of the Regatta prizes, 'general memoranda for each year', Regatta rules and boat builders of the winning boats from 1839 to 1849.