Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club is an amateur

Amateur

An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....

 rowing

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 club, on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in England. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames opposite Greenwich

Greenwich

Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

 on the Isle of Dogs

Isle of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...

.

Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club was founded in 1854 and is one of the oldest rowing clubs in Great Britain. It was established by a group of young lightermen

Lightermen

Lightermen were workers who transferred goods between ships and quays, aboard flat-bottomed barges called lighters in the Port of London.-History:...

 as "The Blackwall Rowing and Athletic Club". Boats were carried to the river from a local pub. After World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 there was an increase in membership from shipwrights, boilermakers and stevedores from the nearby shipyards and docks, although the depression in the 1930s led to reduced activity again. The club reformed with its present name in 1935 and established a club and boat house on the present site in 1937.

The Club has a successful record in regattas, and in recent years has produced several international oarsmen. Members of the Club have represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games and World Championships.

The club house marks the finish of the annual Great River Race

Great River Race

The Great River Race is an annual competition held on the River Thames for any traditional-style coxed boat propelled by oars or paddles.The competition was started in 1988 and covers a 21 mile course on the tidal Thames between Ham, London and Greenwich...

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