Issue 117 - April 1999

Museum launches boat restoration fund

River and Rowing Museum's new boat restoration fund got off to a flying start on March 13 at a dinner to celebrate the arrival of the Leander Cork Trophy to Henley. More than £1,000 was raised towards conserving boats in the museum's unique collection. The latest additions to the collection are the Rev Sydney Swan's single in which he set a cross-Channel record in 1911, and the Sims used by Lou Ercolani in the Diamonds before the second world war.

The magnificent Cork trophy depicts a Dutch galleon, fully rigged, and was presented to Cork Regatta by Leander in 1904. It returned to Henley to join 'Hippos and Heroes', an exhibition now showing at the museum which traces Leander's history from early days in Lambeth in 1818 to the 'Pink Palace' at Henley a hundred years ago.

© Copyright REGATTA Magazine, 1999.