Forum Topic

Boat Race and Hammersmith Bridge

Today's Sunday Times reports that they are considering moving the course of the 2022 race downriver to avoid Hammersmith Bridge. If this works out successfully, it could become permanent, thereby depriving the riverside pubs and restaurants between Putney and Mortlake of one of their days of significant income.

Richard Greenhough ● 2032d8 Comments

If the course was moved, have you any idea where it would start and finish?

Anne England ● 2031d

4 or so miles downriver, probably finishing at Putney Bridge or there-abouts. The solution is for the various authorities to stop arguing about payment and get on with dealing with the bridge, which is, I  think one of the oldest suspension bridges in this country.

Mike Preece ● 2031d

The solution is for the Department of Transport, which is the only body with a sufficiently large budget to fund the repair.Are there facilities including boathouses four miles down river from Putney Bridge that could be used to start the race from?

Francis Rowe ● 2031d

Looks like a potential start near Parliament or thereabouts on a longer course finishing at Putney wiping out all that tradition and trade as Richard pointed out. Not to mention putting the crew at risk of much choppier water on a bad day.  Bad news for West London and the boat race in my view, glad they managed to get it done yesterday both great races.

Matthew Swain ● 2031d

I think the track record of this government in being petty and pushing forward the interest of its own MPs has to be considered here. It would not be a surprise if both the Boat Race organisers and the Port of London Authority are being offered significant incentives to make this switch permanently.This means the route no longer went through the constituencies of three opposition MPs, Ruth Cadbury, Andrew Slaughter and Sarah Olney but would add it to that of Conservative MPs Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham) and Nicola Aitken (City of London and Westminster). In addition it would be a major blow to Hammersmith & Fulham Council which has not been willing to lie down over the issue of Hammersmith Bridge.It would be a massive blow to pubs along the rivers but I would anticipate there will be outrage from local rowing clubs who also get a significant amount of their annual revenue from Boat Race day.

Mark Evans ● 2031d

Mark  didn't think of it in terms of an attack on constituencies and their MPs who knows these days you may be right. Richmond is however a closely contested seat between the Lib Dems and Tories so removing the race from Surrey side would affect voters alongside riverside within the Richmond Borough.

Matthew Swain ● 2031d

The government seems operate in the hope that they can get the message across that 'if you don't vote for us bad things will happen to you'. Hammersmith Bridge is just one example of this as is the appalling way they are keeping TfL dangling for funding. They would like it if the people of Richmond Park believed the best way to get the Boat Race back is electing a Conservative next time.

Mark Evans ● 2029d

Absolutely. There is a money tree and it's virtually free at the moment. This is not exactly one of those 'difficult decisions'. If I were Sadiq, I'd stop playing politics, just do it and argue about who pays afterwards.It would make him very popular

Leigh Stops ● 2029d