The Club
Social Scene
RCC has a vibrant social scene. Annual events include the Annual Dinner, Hallowe'en and Fireworks parties, the Christmas Pudding Races and the Henley Royal Regatta picnic.
The bar is open every Thursday night for club night and additional socials are organised throughout the year. In addition to the club-organised socials, each squad often organises its own social events.
History of the Club
The club was founded in 1867, although there was a history of rowing on the Thames at Reading for many years before that. The Reading Amateur Regatta, an event organised by the town, was first held in 1842, so it could be argued that the club has its origins at least 25 years earlier when the regatta was first held.
The club was very active in the early years and, in spite of the absence of any motor transport to take boats to and from regattas, the club competed at regattas up and down the Thames throughout the summer months. It seems strange today to think that the club was inactive on the river through the winter.
The club’s greatest achievements to date were in the 1930s when crews reached the final of the Thames Cup and won the Wyfold Fours at Henley Royal Regatta in 1934 and 1935. In 1938, Len Habbits, a member of the winning Wyfold Fours crews reached the final of the Diamond Sculls. More recently, an RRC crew reached the semi-finals of the Britannia Challenge Cup in 2006. The club has also won numerous medals at the National Championships over the years.
The present boathouse is one of several that the club has occupied, but it is certainly the most impressive and the largest. It was completed in 1989 and, although Reading Borough Council owns it, the club has a considerable financial stake in the building and hopes to be able to continue boating from there for many years to come.
