coalporters amateur rowing club & hall hire
Southampton Coalporters A.R.C. was founded in 1875 and as such is the oldest and
most established rowing club within the city of Southampton. The club has been
successfully competing every year since its foundation. Coalporters itself takes
its name from the rowers who transported coal to visiting ships on the River
Itchen. These workers formed the club in which they could participate using
their skills in competition against anyone else who would race against them. In
1884 the club scratched together a crew of 18 to race and beat a previously
undefeated racing crew of 14 from the visiting American Navy. The race was set
over a five mile course for stakes of sixty dollars . The crew imbalance was
more than compensated for by the fact that the Americans could race their own
specially designed racing boat, whilst Coalporters had to race in a disused
service cutter from the condemned stores in Portsmouth Dockyard. The Americans
asked for a rematch for higher stakes for which Coalporters took up the
challenge and again went on to win. Soon after Coalporters were challenged by
the "Portsmouth Shovelers" which laid the foundations for the more conventional
river and coastal rowing competitions of today. The club has progressively grown
in stature over the years to become a well renowned and respected club
throughout the rowing circuit both locally and nationally. We have been on our
present site beside Northam Bridge for over 40 years. The latest addition to the
club was completed in 2005, extending the building further towards the water to
increase the size of the training / gym area and also extending the back of the
club to incorporate a club / committee room. The refurbishment also included the
rebuilding of the changing rooms and the installation of new racking in the boat
house. In 2019 Coalporters embarked on a new era to develop the club for the
future. New storage and club refurbishment is now being planned, the first phase
starts with conversion of the Northam Arch project. This will provide more boat
storage space for members and our rowing crews.
