Thousands expected to descend on the town centre on Sunday afternoon

Putney once again gets ready to be the focus of international attention as the annual university Boat Race takes place this Sunday.

Thousands of spectators will be heading for the town centre on April 2 to watch the latest clash between Oxford and Cambridge, with Putney’s many restaurants, pubs and bars expected to enjoy a roaring trade throughout the day.

There will be market in Church Square starting at 11am with a range of street food and drink stalls including pizza, Greek, Mexican and Spanish food, BBQ, craft ales, coffee, brownies and ice cream. Visitors can also enjoy Pimms and Prosecco in the St Mary’s Church grounds. Wandsworth Radio will be broadcasting live and there will be live music and giveaways.

5th Putney Sea Scouts (beavers and cubs) will be holding a fund raising event right in the middle of the Boat Race area. There will be a BBQ, refreshments, a cake stall and a tombola all afternoon. It is their only fundraiser of the year and if you can't be there you can still support them through their Just Giving page.

The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 4.35pm, with the men’s following an hour later at 5.35pm. The Gloriana (and 30 accompanying boats) will be coming along the river going through Putney about 3.40pm.

Since the second half of the 19th century, Putney has been one of the most significant centres for rowing in the United Kingdom. More than twenty rowing clubs are based on the Thames at Putney Embankment, among the largest are London Rowing Club, Thames Rowing Club, Imperial College Boat Club and Vesta Rowing Club. The Putney clubs have produced a plethora of Olympic medallists and Henley winners.

The historic Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, first contested in 1829 in Henley-on-Thames, has had Putney as its starting point since 1845. Since 1856 it has been an annual event, beginning at the University Stone, just upstream from Putney Bridge

Bus services to Putney and Underground services to East Putney and Putney Bridge stations are expected to be running a normal Sunday service. Boat race fans are also being advised not to drive to Putney town centre as there is unlikely to be much available on-street parking.

Some parking bays will also be suspended along Putney Embankment due to the influx of thousands of spectators to the riverside.

The suspensions will commence at 9am Motorists who park cars there overnight on Saturday will need to move them ahead of this deadline. Vehicles left in parking bays after this time are likely to be towed away.

Normal parking rules will be reinstated at approximately 7pm on Sunday evening once the vast majority of spectators have departed.

The Council say that numerous signs notifying drivers of the changes will be placed along Putney Embankment.

Residential roads linking Putney Embankment with the Lower Richmond Road will also be closed to all traffic on Saturday apart from residents.

These roads may also be subject to some parking suspensions at junctions to allow emergency vehicles to access them without being obstructed. There will also be additional temporary parking restrictions on Sunday afternoon in the Lower Richmond Road.

March 31, 2017