The rowing scene in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a small but historic rowing town on the Warwickshire Avon (the Upper Avon, not the Bristol Avon). The scene centres on Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club at Swans Nest Lane, with King Edward VI School - Shakespeares old grammar school - rowing as its sister programme out of the same boathouse.
Key numbers
The Warwickshire Avon (River Avon, Warwickshire) flows non-tidal through the town, weir-controlled by the Avon Navigation Trust. The Town Reach runs from upstream of Holy Trinity Church past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Bancroft Gardens and under the Tramway Bridge to the boathouse at Swans Nest Lane. The stretch is short (around 1.5 km of usable water), meandering and narrow, shared with tourist trip boats, swans and punts. Race courses are typically 350 m to 500 m sprints from the Ferry or Holy Trinity to the Club grounds, with longer head courses run on the Lower Avon at Evesham and Pershore.
All 2 rowing clubs in Stratford-upon-Avon
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club
Founded 10 August 1874 on the bank of the Avon opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Boats are named almost entirely after female Shakespearean characters. Home of Paralympic gold medallist James Roe and junior world champion Camilla Hadland; runs Senior, Masters, Junior (J13-J18) and adaptive squads. Hosts Stratford Regatta in June and the long-running Boxing Day Scratch Regatta. |
1874 | The Clubhouse, Recreation Ground, Swans Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS | River Avon (Warwickshire / Stratford Town Reach, non-tidal) | Senior community |
|
King Edward VI School Boat Club
Rowing programme of the historic grammar school once attended by William Shakespeare (refounded in its current form by Edward VI in 1553). The boat club uses Stratford-upon-Avon BCs facilities a five-minute walk from the school. Founder and regular winner of the Ball Cup Regatta (first held 1934, won by KES) and inaugural winner of the Schools Head of the River Mixed Eights category. |
1934 | King Edward VI School, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6HB (boats out of Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, Swans Nest Lane) | River Avon (Warwickshire / Stratford Town Reach, non-tidal) | School |
Major regattas in or near Stratford-upon-Avon
June (annual)
Boxing Day (26 December)
Summer (alternates South / North)
Software for Stratford-upon-Avon rowing clubs
Most of the 2 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.
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From the blog
If you're researching the rowing scene in Stratford-upon-Avon as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.
Sources & references
- Wikipedia: Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club
- Wikipedia: King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Wikipedia: River Avon, Warwickshire
- Stratford upon Avon Boat Club official site
- King Edward VI School - Sport
- Ball Cup Regatta (South) - history
- British Rowing event listing: Avon Autumn Big Boats Head
- Avon Navigation Trust events diary
- British Rowing: Stratford-upon-Avon BCs Boxing Day Regatta