2023 - club celebrates 150 years of rowing

Newark Rowing Club was founded in 1873 with aim of ‘furthering the sport of rowing on the River Trent for the gentlemen of the town’.

The River Devon offered a quiet backwater, suitable for launching boats a short distance from the River Trent and secluded from the commercial barge traffic then running between Nottingham and the Humber estuary. Originally, the Club rented its premises from the Duke of Newcastle’s estate and as soon as the opportunity arose, the members purchased the freehold to the land, shortly after the Second World War.

In the late 1960’s the club built an extension to the boathouse with changing facilities for men and women, enabling women to join the club as full members for the first time.

1985 saw the Club embark on its most ambitious scheme when it decided to excavate a mooring basin on its land with a view to offering moorings for motor cruisers. This would provide the Club with a steady income stream to finance the future of the club. The mooring basin was financed by a generous donation from the Saunders family and the Club’s financial reserves.

In 2003 an extra landing stage was installed in front of the clubhouse. This was in readiness for the Clubs Head Race and in response to the larger number of crews attending, which was growing in popularity year on year.

The next major project was to replace the old wooden clubhouse which was a former Canadian Air Force building and installed at the club in 1951. A huge amount of work was put into a lottery grant application and in 2013 the Club officially opened the new clubhouse. Today we continue to reap the rewards of this impressive brick structure which forms the hub of the club.

With the hard work, dedication and forward thinking of our members over the years, Newark Rowing Club today, offers excellent facilities for rowers of all ages.