The rowing scene in Nottingham
Nottingham is the centre of UK rowing infrastructure. The Trent through West Bridgford has hosted clubs since the 1860s, and the 2km Regatta Lake at Holme Pierrepont - the National Water Sports Centre - is the venue every British rower meets at: GB Trials selection, the British Rowing Championships, the British Rowing Masters Championships, the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and (returned in 2025 after a decade at Dorney) the National Schools Regatta all run on the same six-lane course.
Key numbers
Two distinct stretches. The non-tidal River Trent through West Bridgford gives roughly 8-9km of rowable water, with the stretch upstream of Trent Bridge closed to motor traffic - this is the home water for the senior community clubs and the University of Nottingham Boat Club. A short row downstream brings crews to Holme Pierrepont Country Park, home of the National Water Sports Centre: a purpose-built 2,000m, six-lane regatta course with start/finish tower, distance markers and a 5km perimeter road for land-based coaching. The course opened in 1971 and has hosted the World Rowing Championships (1975, 1986) and the World Rowing Junior Championships (1973).
All 5 rowing clubs in Nottingham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of Nottingham Boat Club
Founded 1892 - around 120 active members across men, women and novice squads. Known for gold blades and a green-and-yellow racing kit; alumni include Olympians Chris Bartley, Vicky Meyer-Laker and David Lemon. |
1892 | University of Nottingham Boathouse, south bank of the River Trent between Lady Bay Bridge and the City Ground, Nottingham | River Trent and Holme Pierrepont Regatta Lake | University |
|
Nottingham & Union Rowing Club
Formed in 1946 by the amalgamation of the original Nottingham Rowing Club (founded 1862) and Nottingham Union Rowing Club (founded 1871) after the Union boathouse was destroyed by a Luftwaffe air raid in May 1941. |
1946 | Trentside, West Bridgford, NG2 5FA | River Trent (Trentside, West Bridgford) | Senior community |
|
Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association
Founded in 1981 by elite rowers from the Trentside clubs with backing from Nottinghamshire County Council. Disbanded in 2006 and re-formed in 2017; over 200 NCRA athletes have won international vests at U23, Commonwealth and Olympic level. |
1981 | Bays 6-7, Regatta Lake, National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, NG12 2LU | Holme Pierrepont 2,000m Regatta Lake | High-performance |
|
Nottingham Trent University Boat Club
Student boat club of Nottingham Trent University, sharing the Nottingham Rowing Club boathouse. Ran an annual Varsity Match against the University of Nottingham from 1994; rows BUCS heads and regattas as well as the Trent Head and Nottingham City Regatta. |
1994 | Boats from Nottingham Rowing Club, Middle of the Three, Trentside, West Bridgford, NG2 5FA | River Trent (Trentside) and Holme Pierrepont Regatta Lake | University |
|
Nottingham Rowing Club
Formed in 2006 by the merger of Nottingham Boat Club (founded 1894) and Nottingham Britannia Rowing Club (founded 1869). The largest rowing club in the East Midlands; hosts a British Rowing Performance Development Academy that has produced World Champions and Olympic medallists. |
2006 | Middle of the Three, Trentside North, West Bridgford, NG2 5FA | River Trent (Trentside, by the City Ground) | Senior community / high-performance |
Major regattas in or near Nottingham
Mid-July (Holme Pierrepont)
June (Holme Pierrepont)
Late April (Holme Pierrepont)
Summer (Holme Pierrepont)
Late May (returned to Holme Pierrepont 2025 after a decade at Dorney; future venue rotating)
Through the season (Boston, Caversham and Holme Pierrepont)
Late February (River Trent, Trentside)
Early-to-mid May (Holme Pierrepont)
Late February (River Trent)
Software for Nottingham rowing clubs
Most of the 5 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 Nottingham as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.
Sources & references
- Wikipedia: Nottingham & Union Rowing Club
- Wikipedia: Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association
- Wikipedia: University of Nottingham Boat Club
- Wikipedia: Holme Pierrepont National Water Sports Centre
- Wikipedia: British Rowing Championships
- Wikipedia: National Schools Regatta
- Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway: Rowing
- British Rowing: affiliated clubs (East Midlands)
- British Rowing: 2026 event dates and venues
- National Water Sports Centre - Regatta Lake