Proposed Galleries

The River and Rowing Museum will be a centre of excellence and maintain a public service which collects, documents, preserves, exhibits and interprets artifacts and information relating to the River Thames, Henley-on-Thames and rowing.

Mill Meadows
Henley-on-Thames
Oxon RG9 1BF
England

Tel: +44 1491 410909

The Museum on Thames

A visit to the River and Rowing Museum will be a unique experience for everyone. In telling the story of the river, the town and the sport, the museum will be a showcase for modern craftsmanship as well as a display of historic objects, both man-made and natural.

The main entrance from the museum's own car park will open into a reception area integrated with the exceptional design of the building. Contemporary furniture and works of art on a river and rowing theme will draw the visitor into the galleries, shop and catering facilities. The foyer area will also include acknowledgements to the generosity of major benefactors.

Above: architect's perspective drawing of the museum building and extension from the river

The Thames - England's foremost river

A hugh map of the Thames from source to sea forms the backdrop to the 60 metre long River Gallery on the first floor of the museum, making full use of its 6 metre height. The mural provides a geographical framework for a plethora of stories from the earliest myths and legends, through the medieval development of Henley, to the golden summer of Edwardian elegance depicted by a full size diorama of a lock on a busy holiday with real boats of the period.

Side by side with original objects will be multi-media exhibits and computer interactives linked to the World Wide Web Internet, information superhighway, enabling visitors to remotely access information. The museum's WWW pages are currently receiving 500 visits per month and the number of WWW accesses is growing by 1% per day.

Some of the topics featured in the gallery will include:

water, the essence of life - riverside settlements
flash locks, pound locks, weirs and mills - the hazards to navigation from meandering stream to tidal estuary
trade routes and the Royal Highway - coal from Newcastle and wool from the Cotswolds
turnpikes and railways - early competition and later complimentary to the river's recreational role
bitter truth - breweries and the supply of malt for London
messing about in boats - from wherry to ferry and barge to steamer
crossing the great divide - bridges and fords
the music and literature of the Thames from Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat

Henley-on-Thames will play a strategic role in this gallery as an example of a community whose development has been closely linked with the river and its history.

"Only by understanding the past can we interpret today and conserve our river heritage for tomorrow."

Linking yesterday and tomorrow - the river today

The glazed bridge at first floor level between the first and second phase museum buildings will provide a viewing area to see the daily pageant of river craft and wildlife between Henley bridge and Rod Eyot. Regularly updated information will aim to encourage visitors to explore the local area following their museum visit.

A high speed video presentation of an aerial view of the Thames, from source to sea, taken from a helicopter would help to set the scene and familiarize tourists and overseas visitors with the location of Henley in relation to London and Oxford.

Underwater - a fish-eye view of the Thames

A unique river gallery where the viewer will experience life below the surface, surrounded by underwater sights and sounds in a reconstruction of the river bed, complete with an aquarium of Thames fish. This is the river as a living entity, without getting wet, explaining the problems associated with pollution and riverbank erosion, and debate some of the environmental issues of today and the likely consequences for tomorrow.

Water Works

The interactive Water Gallery on the ground floor will contain a mixture of video microscope and low technology hands-on exhibits for all ages. How much do you know about water?

go with the flow - waves, tides, currents and sediment
rise and fall - pumping principles, water wheels and syphons
monster soup - minute aquatic life in pond water viewed through a video microscope
Sweet Thames - drinking water
pipelines - water needs at home and work
surface tension - from water boatmen walking on water to wetted area, drag and displacement of boats

A soft play area based on a river theme will be provided in the museum to cater for the younger children in family groups, enabling their carers to spend longer in the exhibition galleries.

Water Warrior to Amateur Athlete

The rowing gallery is a clerestory space parallel to the river gallery. A galaxy of boats from the Royal Oak, the world's oldest rowing boat to the first carbon fibre craft and state of the art monocoque racing machines will tell the story from wood to plastic, and all the developments in between including the links between aviation and boat building on the Thames.

From the trireme warships of classical times professional oarsmen were employed to power the naval vessels of the world. The exhibition will include:

a Doggett's life - the watermen who rowed for money and taught the amateurs
the picnic panthermanticon - bumping races, boaters, blazers and the history of the trouser turn-up
faster, higher, stronger - Henley Regatta and the foundation of the modern Olympic Games
the ultimate slide show - from greasing the breeches to seats on wheels
Is rowing an art or science?
the interaction between boats, oars and rowers
coaching the crew - style, diet and differences of opinion

River Thames links

Current stream condition on the river for rowers at Oxford, possibly the first such service in the world.
Article on the River Thames by Lisa Osta. Includes a virtual tour of the river (under development, with a clickable map), boating resources (contact addresses) and information on the early photographer Henry Taunt. Slow but recommended. A UK mirror site is also available.
The Tideway - London's River. The Internet information service about the tidal Thames, including other Thames related sites.
Information for Thames leisure users from the Metropolitan Police Thames Division, policing the River Thames, London since 1798.
The British Motor Yacht Club, based on the River Thames at Thames Ditton.
Trips on the Thames in London.
HMS Belfast is permanenly moored on the River Thames close to London Bridge.
British Waterways - see map of the south east.
The Royal River Thames from Hoseasons boating holidays.
The Oxfordshire County Council Computer Education Unit provide some information on educational resources in Oxfordshire including the River Thames - see a large photograph. Quote: "Next year the Thames Path officially opens, but the whole of the Oxfordshire section can be walked now."
A limerick about the River Thames.
The Cliveden hotel overlooking the Thames at Taplow, Bucks.
The River Thames at Kingston upon Thames.
River Thames maps (for sale).
Oxford, Reading, Henley and London are all on the River Thames.
MarineData Guide to the River Thames.
Thames Barrier information from the Environment Agency.

See also the following river-related information:

A map of the UK including rivers.
A fishing page and the World-Wide Web (WWW) Virtual Library entry on fish.
River organizations and water quality from the Oxfordshire County Council OXCIS information system.
Rivers & Canals links from UK Yellow Web.
Narrowboats in and around Oxford.
Oxford rowing information.
Henley Royal Regatta and Leander rowing club, Henley-on-Thames.
Thames Traditional Boat Rally, Fawley Meadows, Henley-on-Thames.
Thames River Water System, London.
Thames Water Ring Main for London including a (large) diagram.
Thames region information from the Environment Agency.
Along the Thames from Thames Trains.
Thames Path.
Livesights ThamesCam! Live Video

This information is brought to you by Jonathan Bowen as part of the River and Rowing Museum WWW site.