Guildford Rowing Club Seeks to Purchase Council Land for New Clubhouse

Published on: 17 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 17 Mar, 2019

Artist’s impression of how the new GRC clubhouse would look. Image courtesy GRC.

Guildford Rowing Club (GRC) hopes to buy an area of land from Guildford Borough Council for £8,000 to enable the construction of a new clubhouse. The price was reduced from an independent valuation of £12,000 because of the amenity value the new clubhouse will bring.

Guildford Rowing Club Badge the town arms with crossed oars

A decision on the requested sale and the diversion of an adjacent footpath will be taken at Tuesday’s (March 19) GBC Executive meeting.

According to a council officer’s report, which recommends approval: “The new clubhouse is needed as the old clubhouse was constructed in the 1950s and there are no accessible toilets or changing facilities or suitable training areas.

“Currently, the club’s fleet of boats, including their lottery-granted specialist adaptive ([for the] disabled) boats, has outgrown the clubhouse and are stored outside.

“Facilities for supporting young and adaptive talent are at the core of the project.”

Guildford Rowing Club (photo taken in 2017).

The new clubhouse is expected to provide up-to-date indoor training facilities, accessible changing rooms and toilets, indoor storage for specialist equipment and a site designed for inclusive access with gentle gradients, extra turning space and safe surfaces.

The rowing club plans to develop the new clubhouse creating a sports club accessible to all in the local community.

The club has enjoyed successes at both amateur and international level, with Olympic rowing gold medals won in both Beijing and Rio. Rachel Morris MBE, a current member, recently won gold at the Rio Paralympics.

GRC is reported to have over 200 members, including 100 juniors and an adaptive (disabled) rowing squad of both adults and juniors with a range of disabilities. This group has grown through the help of volunteers over the past decade.

The plan of the site included in the council officer’s report on the proposal.

Planning permission for the development has already been obtained. According to the club’s website it will cost around £650,000 to be paid for by club funds (10%), Sport England (Lottery) 25%, British Rowing 10%, other sources 55%.

Paul Woowat, chairman of the club said: “Guildford Rowing Club has nearly a 130-year history in Guildford, and occupies a building that was erected by its members over 70 years ago.

“Demand for rowing is very high, proven by the continuous stream of enquiries received from people of all ages and ability, the club has insufficient space to meet this demand.

“The small parcel of additional land will provide needed space to support our very active junior section with over 100 members, our adaptive rowers that support people with a range of disabilities, and the increasing demand for land-based training, in a club, of which, the local community can be proud.”

According to Hooke’s Almanac of 1883 the rowing club’s website the club’ first committee, based at the Bridge Hotel, was formed in 1880 (at the time when several sports and leisure clubs were formed in Guildford) by: Patron – HRH Prince Leopold Duke of Albany, president – Denzil R Onslow, Esq, MP, vice-president – The Worshipful the Mayor, plus members D M  Stevens, Esq, G.J. Smallpiece, Esq, JP, Mr E Hitchcock and treasurer – Dodsworth Hayden, Esq, JP.

George Davis’ Lime Wharf in the 19th century.

The rowing club was originally located under Onslow Bridge, moving to its present site by Shalford Meadow in 1955, into buildings said to have been used by the army [can anyone give more detail on this?].

In the 1920s the site was the home of the Paddock Gardens, an end-of-the-pier style entertainment venue.

Originally the site was a wharf used for loading chalk from the nearby Great Quarry for lime production. The quarry, which gives the name to Quarry Street, was worked until 1876 and then sold in 1878.

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