Christ Church Boat Club

Christ Church Boat Club

Christ Church boathouse
Location	Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford
Coordinates	51°44′33″N 1°14′54″W / 51.742497°N 1.248350°W / 51.742497; -1.248350
Home water	The Isis
Founded	Pre-1817
Key people	Thomas Harris (President) Elliot Lowe (Secretary) Imogen Rickard (Women's Captain) Bertie Parkes (Men's Captain) Amber Softley (Captain of Coxes)
Headships	Summer Eights: 35 Torpids: 15
University	University of Oxford
Colours	Dark Blue
Affiliations	British Rowing (boat code CHB) First and Third Trinity Boat Club (Sister college)
Website	www.chch.ox.ac.uk/current-students/boat-club

Christ Church Boat Club is a rowing club for members of Christ Church, Oxford and Kellogg College, Oxford. It is based on the Isis at Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford.^[1]

Christ Church have enjoyed great success in intercollegiate bumps racing, having won 50 headships across both Summer Eights and Torpids - the second most of any Oxford college.

The club is reputedly one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world being founded before 1817. In 1817 the house crew won the title 'Head of the River' and in 1828 became the first Oxford crew to row against a crew from outside of the University, when racing Leander in London. In the inaugural 1829 boat race there were five rowers from Christ Church.^[2] This led to Oxford University Boat Club adopting Christ Church's dark blue, and also inspired the shade of Oxford Blue used as the official colour of the University.^[3]

Shortly after the admittance of women to the college, a crew was formed and raced for the first time in 1981. More recently three women competed in the 2019 boat race,^[4] and the Women's VIII went Head of the River in 2023 and 2024. ^[5]

• Sir Albert Gladstone - British Rower, Olympic gold medalist in 1908
• Harold Barker - British Rower, Olympic silver medalist in 1908
• Lewis Clive - British Rower, Olympic gold medalist in 1932
• Hugh Edwards - British Rower, Olympic gold medalist in 1932
• Charles Grimes - American Rower, Olympic gold medalist in 1956
• David Sawyier - American Rower, Olympian in 1972
• Jonny Searle - British Rower, Olympic gold medalist in 1992 and bronze medalist in 1996
• Robin Bourne-Taylor - British Rower, Olympian in 2004 and 2008
• Jamie Schroeder - American Rower, Olympian in 2004 and 2008
• Cameron Winklevoss - American Rower, Olympian in 2008
• Tyler Winklevoss - American Rower, Olympian in 2008
• Barnabé Delarze - Swiss Rower, Olympian in 2016 and 2020
• Oliver Cook - British Rower, Olympian in 2020

• University rowing (UK)
• Oxford University Boat Club
• Christ Church, Oxford
• Rowing on the River Thames