Boat Race exhibition unveils rare photos

Women rowers competing in The Boat Race next month will win equal rights on the water with men for the first time in the event's 186-year history as they race on the same day on the same stretch of water – and to mark the occasion, a unique exhibition is being staged featuring lady rowers' sportswear through the ages in Putney Exchange Shopping Centre.

A fortnight before this year's race, a set of rare archive photographs, dating back through the last century, will go on show for the first time to the public in Putney, the borough where the world-famous race is being held on the River Thames on Saturday, April 11th and televised to more than 100 countries worldwide.



The historic black and white images show elite Edwardian lady rowers in their boats, kitted out wearing cumbersome, heavy, ankle-length woollen skirts, smart culottes, neckties and cravats. These rare photos have been uncovered by one of Britain's top sporting museums, the River and Rowing Museum at Henley in Oxfordshire.



Also on display – in stark contrast to the sporting garments worn in yesteryear – will be today's cutting-edge, high-tech Boat Race rowers’ outfits, as produced by Putney's award-winning technical sportswear brand, Crewroom. The company is the Official Supplier of Performance Wear for the 2015 Boat Race season, clothing Oxford and Cambridge’s women’s and men’s crews. Crewroom is co-hosting the exhibition with the shopping centre, opening this Friday March 20th at 1pm.

The Putney Exchange Shopping Centre is also hosting the exhibition, which will be officially declared open by the Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth, Councillor Richard Field.

Anne Partridge, Putney Exchange Centre Manager, said today: “We are proud of the borough’s rowing history and heritage and this is why we contacted Crewroom, who currently have a pop-up store in the shopping centre, suggesting that we work together to create this exhibition. ..... The historic Boat Race exhibition also reminds us of what female rowers have had to endure and how far they have progressed".

Kate Giles, the Founder of Crewroom and herself a former elite rower, said: “To be an integral part of these historic events is something of which all of us at Crewroom are very proud. As a young British company, we acknowledge the rich history and tradition associated with The Boat Race and we’re excited about our involvement in 2015, particularly as it will be the first year that the women’s crews will race on the tideway.

“Our kit remains first choice for many elite international rowers and we work closely with the athletes to ensure the technical innovation is the very best it can be at the highest level in the sport.”


March 19, 2015