The club was formed originally at Stones Engineering Works, in Deptford and was called Stones Rowing Club with membership being restricted to employees of the company only.
In those days the boats used were heavy clinker fours and were hired from local Waterman at East Greenwich for use mainly on Sunday mornings. This was found to be expensive and in time the club applied to Stones for a grant in order to purchase new equipment. For some reason this was refused and as a result the club broke away from the firm and set up independently to attract new members from wherever they could, with headquarters in the Lord Clyde public house.
The club was then known as the Clyde Rowing Club and entered regattas with some success. During the mid 1930’s, the headquarters was moved to yet another public house called The Globe and so became Globe Rowing Club.
By now the old boats were falling to pieces, and in the late 1930’s it become essential to buy new ones: six were needed, and at £60 each this was an apparently insurmountable obstacle for a club of ordinary working lads. An appeal was launched among the members for interest free loans. The response was amazing and enough was raised to put down a deposit on the purchase of six boats which were ordered from Salters of Oxford. Over the years the loans were repaid in full.
In 1938 the Globe pub was pulled down to make way for a new Town Hall and the club were again on the move with meetings being held in various places until the outbreak of war in 1939. The club’s boats were taken to Salters yard to be stored for the duration of the war.
Following the war the club was still homeless and led a nomadic existence and boats were stored in a local dockyard. This was a difficult time for the club and only due to members enthusiasm did the club survive.
In 1947 our boats were stored in an upstairs room at Brooke’s wharf. The room (more like a long hall) was above the carpenter’s shop and had a large doorway from which boats were lowered onto a wooden platform about 3ft high and then onto boat trolleys to be carried to the steps beside Greenwich Pier at low tide or next door to the Tilbury Dredging Co. on high tides (which in those days were preferred!).
The club then purchased a real Assault Landing Craft with its engine removed. We built a shed on the deck with racks for storing the boats. This craft was moored against the wall of the river embankment outside the Union Hotel, a pub on the down river side of the Greenwich Power Station. The pub had a room in the backyard where we could change and some washing facilities that we could use, and best of all members only had to walk across the road to the boathouse, lower the ramp and put the boats straight into the water at high tide or carry them down the beach a little way at low tide.
Fred Howlett, one of our former members now living in Australia, tells us “It was a little hairy when there was a lot of traffic on the river; the craft would move about a bit and we had to be careful stepping between the craft and the access ladder. Even more pleasing was the fact that after washing and changing back into street clothes, we only had to walk in the back door of the pub for a “refreshing ale”!
In the mid 1950s The club later moved from the Union Hotel back to Tilbury Dredging Co. and purchased the converted Thames barge for our boathouse, it could have been in the period 1953 to ‘56 when some members were away on National Service.
The Story continues…
The history of Globe Rowing Club as detailed above asked for someone to pick up where Freddie Howlett left off, well here goes!
An additional note here, most of this was written from memory I have subsequently been given a number of old books and documents which will fine tune my recall and will be typed up to give a more accurate history.
(Alan Wylie)
THE BOATHOUSE
Fred’s history ends around 1953 with the new boathouse being a redundant 2nd world war landing craft. The craft had been modified and sported a long wooden ramp and a watertight door at the front, entry was via a hatch in the rear deck. The ramp was lowered with a rope block and tackle, lowering was not too bad but pulling it back required all the members heaving along the rope. The watertight door lifted up and then bolted in position.
Nine boats were kept in the barge six heavy boats with no outriggers and fixed tholes, tholes are two vertical ribs fixed to the gunwales (gunnels) of the boat, the seats were staggered off centre, bow side and stroke side and the slide was only 16inches long (400mm for you youngsters who don’t remember old money!)
These boats were built by Salter’s of Oxford and looked identical to the eights used in the very first University boat race. A small aside here, when I was club secretary in the early sixties among the secretary’s papers was the original receipt and each boat cost about £35.00, hopefully the receipt has survived and still with a club member somewhere.
The other three boats were known as light fours (clinker built) although these days “light” would be a questionable description, two were by Simms of Putney the third was built by George Harris of Chertsey. Two boats the “Mills” and the “Donaldson” were owned by the club, the third the “279” I think was owned by the dock labour board and rowed by stevedores from 279 club.
CLUB RACING
Most of the rowing in those days was club racing, very few regattas were entered unless it was a local lower Thames event, club races were keenly competitive, crews were selected at the club meeting (see more later) on the Monday following the previous club race or, if the first race of the season, about six weeks earlier. Eight club races per year was the norm, as did Poplar & Blackwall R C, so most summer Sundays there was boat racing on Greenwich reach.
A member having been selected for a club crew would train with that crew and could lose his seat for non attendance on training mornings. A club race morning was quite an affair with special racing shirts in the crew colours being issued to crew members including the coxswain.
There was a large local following of the club racing, mainly from public houses, race sponsors were often among licensees with the race being named after the Pub.
A Sunday mornings sport and drinking before 12 o’clock was unknown in those days unless it was on a licensed river boat whose bar opened as soon as it left the pier.
A club race consisted of two heats and a final with two boats progressing to a four boat final unless a’la Len“dead heat”Coker the second and third crews tied, when it would be a five boat final, losing crews were jokingly warned by the winning crews not to use all the hot water at the Tilbury. Winning first heat boats had to row back to the start but second heat boats were towed with the crew going aboard the river boat and the cox’un steering the empty boat on tow, which as a cox’un I can say was great fun although these days I think Health & Safety would have something to say.
Earlier I mentioned the “Tilbury” as did Freddie Howlett, the full name was Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Co Ltd at Dreadnought Wharf in Thames St Greenwich who allowed the club the use of the works canteen and wash room for changing facilities, the wash room consisted of six small hand basins, no showers here, with a limited supply of hot water hence the exhortation to the losing crews. Members walked around the street to Wood Wharf where the barge was moored to get afloat. It was however great fun and a steep learning curve for an eleven year old coxswain, both in rowing and life in general as expounded by the older members. A memory that still lingers is a rowing member saying to me at twelve years old “win this one for us cox’un, don’t cut the corner at the barges and I’ll buy you a pint”. The race was duly won and the following evening the club meeting was held in the Mitre Hotel, as youngsters we were not allowed in the bar but on the way through I called out “don’t forget my pint Charlie” and was bought a “Brown and Mild” that took 3 hours to drink, this of course over time being the first pint of many.
CLUB MEETINGS
Club meetings were serious affairs with fines for non attendance and conducted on strict democratic lines to the rules of debate, a lesson I think our parliamentarians could well use nowadays. There were however light-hearted moments and a great deal of across the floor banter with the chairman hammering his gavel for order. The draw for the next club race was eagerly awaited with the previous day’s race winners going straight into the spare man slots. Crew names called were met with cheers or groans depending on the make up of the crews and the race winning potential of the selections.
Club racing was keenly contested and the mainstay of the club in those days, whilst subs paid for the day to day finances, sponsorship, donations and revenue brought in by the club races was vital for the club’s survival. There were no local authority grants or sports aid, if boats, blades or equipment were wanted the members had to raise the money or go without. Funds were raised in numerous ways the obvious dances, raffles, etc were also helped by “daily doubles” tickets, Christmas card sales and any other scheme that would raise funds. There was also a tremendous work ethic among the members, a large number of members were tradesmen of various skills and where those skills could be used the member was eager to do his bit for the benefit of the club.
REGATTAS
I mentioned earlier that not many regattas were entered, some that do spring to mind are the Welsh Harp regatta which was always a coach outing, with the blades laid down the middle of the coach. Greenwich, Erith, Gravesend and Medway Towns were other regattas attended usually by coach as not many people had cars then. Broxbourne and Burway were other regattas I recall again with the coach laid on to deliver crews, blades and supporters for a day out. I might point out here to younger readers the coach referred too was a bus not a bloke with a speed boat and megaphone that you are used to, they, rowing coaches, were not heard of in the fifties unless you were at university.
Southampton Coal Porters rowing club was a very similar club to the Globe. An annual event was racing either at Southampton or Greenwich; the Carter family were the mainstay of Coal porter’s whilst the Pittman family were all rowing for the Globe so it effectively was inter family rivalry. Another coach outing trip was always to the Boxing Day scratch fours at Putney Town rowing Club whose boathouse then was the basement of the Dukes Head. For us young cox’uns it was great, best boats were available for use at Putney and I recall winning 56lbs of apples coxing a scratch crew. The National Dock Labour Board also held a regatta at Greenwich with Dockers attending from ports all over the country, as cox’uns we were in great demand and Globes old heavy boats came in useful once again, A couple of years ago I was at City of Bristol rowing club and an old docker I was talking to harked back to the Dockers regatta in Greenwich and the great memories he had. There were also publicans races although memories get mixed and I am not sure if they were part of the Dockers’ races or part of Greenwich regatta, there are some old pictures about of the pub crews in fancy dress.
My first regatta race actually rowing and not in the coxswains seat was the News of the World regatta held on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, Globe’s crew was Fred Howlett at stroke, Don Harris at three, Alan Wylie two with Terry Pittman bow, our Cox was Barry Cakebread. Needless to say we were beaten in the heats.
My first regatta win away from the coxswain’s seat was the youth fours at Greenwich Regatta in 1957 with three other Globe coxswains, Terry Pittman, Danny Richardson and Billy Ludgrove, made memorable by the boat turning turtle at the barge and tipping Danny and Billy into the mud.
A GLOBE EIGHT
About the mid fifties Freddie Howlett who was club captain decided that Globe should row an eight, an eight was never seen in the club or even Greenwich Reach, people said an eight would not stand up to the proper tideway!!
I was selected a cox’un, the eight was a old clinker job and belonged to Gladstone Warwick a now defunct club on the river Lea, Fred had an old pre-war Hillman saloon eight blades, the only eight blades the club possessed, were strapped on the roof and eight bodies plus cox’un wedged inside, seat belts! what are they!!
The eight was probably used by Noah it was that old, but we looked at it like present day rowers would look at a new Vespoli. It was lovingly placed in the water, the coxswain affixed the rudder, and an 18inch long by 12inch deep monster with a double acting pulley system, something the cox’un nor crew had ever met before. The outing left the dock smoothly, no wet feet or paddling at the river Lea, the Lea however bends considerably relying on the coxswain to steer using the monstrous double pulleyed rudder, the cox’un pulled and pulled, the rudder strings went round and round and the eight went up the bank breaking all four blades on that side. The outing came to an abrupt end as Globe only had four suitable bow side blades and I don’t think Gladstone Warwick was inclined to lend us their elderly eight again.
Gladstone Warwick was later revived as City Orient Rowing Club famous in their day for winning, the Hearse used for transporting their four, sponsorship from ABBA the pop group and Terry and Jimmy O’Neill as two of the four.
HENLEY
The first Henley Royal Regatta appearance of Globe members took place in 1956 although not in Globe colours, Argosies Rowing Club was formed under the auspices of the National Dock Labour Board as part of NDLB’s sport and recreation activities. Two Globe members Harry and Danny Richardson were selected as stroke and coxswain respectively. There were also crew members from Poplar & Blackwall R.C. and Redriff R.C. a club that used to boat on the river at Surrey Docks, the club now unfortunately gone. Dock workers, lightermen and stevedores from docks all over the country were selected for the crew. This was the first time working men, artisans in HRR speak were allowed on the hallowed waters of the Henley Royal Regatta. Most training was in the Putney reach but occasionally the Argosies eight was seen boating from Poplars old railway station boat house the fore runner of their present home, this of course gave the lie to the old chestnut “an eight could not stand up to our bit of the tideway”
COXING AT GREENWICH
Talking of our stretch of tideway navigating a four either to Blackwall Point for a flood row or Millwall for an ebb row was an inexperienced coxswains nightmare, fortunately the old heavies had room in the stern sheets(pronounced starn) for an experienced cox’un as passenger, usually one of the old watermen Bill Smith or Bob Storey who would instruct the novice cox’un on crossing the fairway under the stern of the huge ships passing up and down to the wharves and docks up river, or how to position the four to allow the wash to pass under without swamping the boat. The numbers of barge roads, (moorings) were also potential hazards and a danger to unwary cox’uns. A cox’un soon learned the correct positioning of the boat to avoid the dangers of being washed under the barge swim. There was also a great deal more respect shown by tug and ship helmsmen by easing down when passing racing craft, a friendly wave from the wheelhouse and similar response from the cox’un sealed the deal, the skipper then opened up and the wash missed the racing boat completely. Respect for other river users that would be welcomed and appears to be sorely missing nowadays.
Around about the end of the fifties the old heavy boats were coming to the end of the line, up river boat builders were amazed that these boats still existed, repairs that could not be carried out by the members resulted in the boats being ignominiously loaded onto a lorry and delivered to a park in Barking where they were repaired along with the hire boats that used the lake in the park.
A decision was made to start replacing the fleet, meanwhile the main source of revenue, club racing, had to continue to finance the new boats.
THE SIXTIES
This meant incr
eased storage, another barge was obtained I can’t say purchased as it was probably a gift from a local lighterage company or bought for a peppercorn. The club was now proud possessor of two boathouse/barges, the work parties of various skills swung into action oxy/acetylene gear and welding equipment were scrounged along with the necessary tradesmen. A ramp and doorway was cut into the forrard swim of the barge, carpenters, or those members with saws at least, cut timbers for roof joists, corrugated iron sheets fixed to form a roof over the hatch coamings, finally each alternate sheet painted blue or white and Lo!! A new boathouse. There was even air conditioning; a 12 inch gap was left between the hatch and the sheeting for ventilation.
This new barge was moored alongside the old one at Ferry Wharf it became the home initially of the two original “light fours” Mills and Donaldson and the arrival of the first new boat eagerly awaited.
The first new “Light Four” in fact a clinker built monster by today’s standards arrived and was named Stella Maria after wife of our President at the time Alec Mitchell. Over the course of the next couple of years, yes it took that long! five more identical boats arrived to give the club six boats to continue club racing. One of the five boats I recall was called “Tina” after a huge Labrador which was the pet of the sponsor and financer of that particular boat a worthy gentleman named Alex Deakin. My memory is a bit foggy here but I think he also financed later another boat named after his grand child.
The first two fours were actually fitted with a towing eye on the front canvas but as the trial tow behind the supporters launch was hairy to say the least, towing was abandoned and the second heat winners had to row back to the start. The other four boats were subsequently named T. Howlett, W.Smith, R.J.Hook and The Supporters.
The old heavy boats were broken up and disposed of, nowadays they would probably have been called collectors items and prized instead of an ignominious end on a bonfire.
The first barge which had seen military service during the war and kept Globe boat-housed ever since kept heading for Davy Jones locker, unfortunately the Thames foreshore was not quite deep enough and every time the tide went down the barge came up!. There was no longer a need for two barges and the first was sold for scrap I recall a figure of £1000.00 so the scrap man must have been blind or a particularly beneficent supporter to part with that much cash.
Around this time there was talk at the old Greenwich Council, this was pre the new London boroughs that amalgamated Woolwich, Eltham etc into Greenwich, the talk being of building a super council run boat house on Dodd’s Wharf which at that time was a derelict wharf and draw dock just upstream of the Cutty Sark and foot tunnel entrance. That plan failed to materialize and sometime later Francis Chichester was knighted by the Queen at Greenwich and his boat bagged the spot.
Due to redevelopment along Wood Wharf and Dodds wharf the barge had to be moved, we had also outstayed our welcome at the Tilbury. The new management did not approve of naked rowers in the works canteen.
Our near neighbours and friendly rivals came to the rescue, Curlew Rowing Club led by the indomitable Cecil Blaseby invited us to share their facilities in the Trafalgar Tavern. The whole of the ground floor was Curlew’s home as the building at that time was not used as a pub or restaurant. Hot showers, inside toilets, luxury after what we had been used to and on top of all that a bar! Heaven! Curlew’s home was also shared by London Transport rowing club led by Johnny Hines, who was actually born in Crane Street, Goldsmiths College crews also enjoyed Curlew’s hospitality occasionally.
The barge was moored on Trinity Wharf in front of Trinity Hospital, just downstream from Highbridge draw dock although in those days we were not allowed to open the water gate at the draw dock, it was definitely an upward move for Globe.
What is the expression about all good things, Curlew’s landlords, the owners of the Trafalgar Tavern decided to redevelop the building, Curlew along with Globe and LTRC were compressed into a narrow corridor and a basement, not the luxurious space to which we had become accustomed.
A new home was needed, 11-13 Crane Street was an old rope works owned by a Mr Moss who no doubt had made money from old rope, it is not just a saying, a waterman with a mop vertical in the stern of his wherry was a sign that he was in the market for old rope, ships bos’uns would heave old rope overside, money would change hands, the waterman would then visit Mr Moss and earn a profit on the transaction.
My apologies for digressing but Moss’s was a big turning point in Globe’s history. Mr Moss wanted to sell up and asked £3750.00 for the building which was in extremely poor condition, from Globe’s point of view it was a palace but at £3750.00 it was reaching for the moon. The club could not raise anything like that amount. It was suggested that Greenwich council be approached, having learnt that the council were interested the price rose to about 17K, shrewd business man Mr Moss.
The council bought the building and Globe finally had a home of its own, LTRC stayed with Curlew and Globe moving out gave them their space back. The plumbers, electricians, chippies, painters and sundry labourers that rowed for Globe swung into action soon showers, changing rooms and boat racks were built, the club was on a roll, more new boats were coming home, restricted sculling boats, sectional restricted fours and finally our first best boat.
The barge was however pining for her old partner she kept doing submarine impressions and finally joined her companion at the scrap yard.
The remaining clinker fours were stored, some on Curlews raft and the others in the grounds of the naval college. It was about this time that “Nipper” received a huge naval promotion, when he left his Majesty’s Royal Navy he was a lowly coxswain albeit an heroic one. In writing to the captain of Globe Rowing Club concerning the boat storage the college adjutant addressed a letter to Nipper as Captain R.J.Hook Royal Navy and saluted him when we attended a meeting, Nipper failed, I might add, to point out his mistake. I don’t think the Navy adjusted his pension though.
By this time leisure was becoming the watchword, riverside boroughs were spending on waterside improvements, and Poplar had its shiny new boat house from the ashes of the old railway station, up river Barn Elms was going great guns.
The Seventies
Greenwich who had already upgraded around the Cutty Sark and Gypsy Moth but owned a decrepit boathouse in Crane Street decided after extreme pressure from the South East London rowing group led by Nipper Hook, Johnny Hines, Cecil and later Peter Blaseby ably assisted at various times by Lance Clifford, Maurice Simco, Johnny Rossiter and myself managed to convince Greenwich to upgrade the club house before it fell into the river.
The prime mover for Greenwich at the time was, I think, a chap by the name of Derek Penfold. There was also a great deal of talk by the local clubs, Greenwich council and South East London Rowing group about building a boathouse on Creads yard which was next to the slipway, this never came to anything until years later and is where the boathouse now stands.
House moving time again for Globe, a derelict prefab at the corner of Old Woolwich Rd and Eastney St was squatted with a wink and a nod from Greenwich Council, again Globes tradesmen swung into action and showers, racks etc were built, the only drawback was boats could only be stored in sections so every outing was a complete re-rig and de-rig for every boat.
Eventually the new club house arose phoenix like from the ashes of the old and became the Trafalgar Rowing Centre home to Globe, Curlew and LTRC the latter two declining to take up residence as they still clung on to their changing rooms and raft at the Trafalgar Tavern.
The rowing centre also boasted a full time warden in the shape of Doggett’s winner Ray Easterling, Ray coached and assisted young rowers and scullers and was a source of a great deal of information to cox’uns about the set of the tides etc.
Once the centre was ready for occupation new temporary homes were found for the boat stock whilst the prefabs were demolished and a brand new boathouse built capable of taking all types of boats including eights without de-rigging or splitting.
The new boathouse, a concrete garage type construction was built on the corner of Old Woolwich Road and Eastney Street. The building had two roller shutters water and electricity and sufficient room to house all of Globe and Curlews boats including safety boats and enough room to do any work on the boats indoors.
Although this new building was financed in the main by Greenwich council a great deal of the work was again carried out by the club membership.
Alan Coulson who was absolutely brilliant at boat repairs also showed great skill as a general foreman, supervising the members in concrete laying for the base of the new boat house. A myriad of other tasks were carried out, second-hand scaffolding was scrounged to build boat racks and finally the boathouse was up and running. There was even a nice compound at the back of the building for boat trailer storage.
A walk down Eastney St with the boat was still required to go afloat but compared to the past trials and tribulations this was heaven.
The club had no gym but winter training, then called circuit training was at Creek Road School gymnasium, no Ergo’s or weights just continuous movement around the circuit and set exercises.
This period was a great time in Globes history, with a proper boathouse an eight could be obtained and housed. In 1977 a Donoratico VIII was tested at Molesey, others were tried but finally a second-hand Salters eight from Worcester College BC Oxford was purchased, we never seem to get away from Salter’s.
The two top IV crews coached by Phil Collins combined and started serious training in the eight.
Some great regatta wins the following season allowed the club entry into the Thames Cup at Henley Royal Regatta this was repeated the following year. Globe rowers had achieved a high point in the history of the club rowing at Henley regatta using a second hand boat.
