The rowing scene in Marlow
Marlow sits on the non-tidal Thames between Bourne End and Bisham, with Marlow Bridge and the reach above Marlow Lock at its heart. For a town of fewer than 20,000 people it has produced a remarkable share of Britains rowing royalty - Marlow Rowing Club alone trained Steve Redgrave, and the towns school clubs at Borlase and Great Marlow share the new Marlow and District Schools Boathouse opening at Gossmore Lane in 2025.
Key numbers
The Marlow reach is non-tidal Thames between Marlow Bridge and Bourne End, a flat sheltered stretch above Marlow Lock running past Bisham Abbey on the Berkshire bank. Crews share the water with Sir William Borlases Grammar School BC and Great Marlow School BC at Longridge on Quarry Wood Road. Note that The Marlow Regatta, despite its name, moved off the local reach in 2001 and is now raced at the 2,000m Dorney Lake near Eton.
All 3 rowing clubs in Marlow
Sorted by founding year. Every entry links to the club's own website; we verified all URLs in May 2026. If you spot an error or your club is missing, let us know.
| Club | Founded | Location | Reach | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Marlow Rowing Club
Founded 1871 on the southern bank of the Thames at Bisham, just beside Marlow Bridge. Steve Redgrave started his career here in 1978 and is now club president; the club rebuilt the boathouse after a 2011 fire with a £1m Sport England grant. |
1871 | Riverside, Bisham, opposite Marlow town centre, SL7 | Marlow Reach (non-tidal Thames, above Marlow Lock) | Senior community |
|
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Boat Club
Boat club of Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, formed 1921. Won the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta three times between 2012 and 2015 and the 2025 British Rowing Club Championships title. |
1921 | Longridge Activity Centre, Quarry Wood Road, Marlow, SL7 | Marlow Reach (non-tidal Thames) | School |
|
Great Marlow School Boat Club
Reformed in 2008 with the aid of lottery grants; shares the Longridge boathouse with Borlase BC. Moving in 2025 to the new Marlow and District Schools Boathouse at Gossmore Lane on the Buckinghamshire bank. |
2008 | Longridge Activity Centre, Quarry Wood Road, Marlow, SL7 | Marlow Reach (non-tidal Thames) | School |
Major regattas in or near Marlow
Mid-June, two weeks before Henley Royal
Mid-June (Marlow reach)
Early May (Marlow reach)
Software for Marlow rowing clubs
Most of the 3 clubs above still run their boat booking, member admin, session attendance and crew lineups on a combination of spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and printed sheets on the boathouse wall. Row HQ is rowing-club management software built specifically for clubs like these.
If your committee is hitting the predictable problems - lineups in the wrong file, fees uncollected, attendance unrecorded, captain on holiday with the password - book a 30-minute demo. We've ported clubs from spreadsheets in a weekend.
See Row HQ for your club
Free forever for clubs of up to 20 active members. No card needed.
Other rowing-club cities
Looking at the wider regional scene? Here are the other cities we have full directories for.
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From the blog
If you're researching the rowing scene in Marlow as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.