Furnivall Sculling Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway in Hammersmith, London. It was called Hammersmith Sculling Club until 1946. It was founded in 1896 by Frederick Furnivall, after whom the riverside Furnivall Gardens a few metres away are named. For its initial five years, in the reign of Queen Victoria, the club was for women only and is widely considered to have had the world's first female rowing team (crew). Furnivall has also admitted men since 1901. The club colours are a precise pallette: myrtle and old gold.
History The club was founded by and is named after Frederick Furnivall (when he was 71, in April 1896). It was at the time called the Hammersmith Sculling Club for Girls. Given his passionate opposition to discrimination, he wanted to break into the man's world of river sport, by building a club for women.
In 1901, men were admitted to full membership, and the name was changed to Furnivall Sculling Club for Girls and Men. However until 1946 the captaincy was restricted to female members in honour of the founding premise. After his death in 1910 the club honoured his memory by celebrating 'The Doctor's Birthday' for many years. Two female-only British rowing clubs exist: Barnes Bridge (which share premises with what was a men-only club) and Weybridge Ladies.
Past Captains and Presidents of FSC Year(s) President Captain 1896-98F. Furnivall Polly Cloud 1898-99 Ada Guintini 1899-1901Amy Porter 1901-02 Nancy Appleby 1902-03Amy Porter 1903-04 Julia Sutton 1904-05 Emmie Sewell 1905-06 Lizzie Skinner 1906-08 Nellie Moulden 1908-09 Cissie Clements 1909-10 Alice Dewar 1910-12 unknown Mabel Symonds 1912-13Beatrice Harraden Cissie Clements 1913–14 Annie Prettle 1914-15J Dickson Brown Mabel Symonds 1915–16 Lizzie Meakins 1916-17L A Magnus Nellie Johnston 1917-18 Norah Root 1918 Betty Billson 1918–19 Norah Root 1919–20 Hilda Biesiegel 1920-21 unknown Hilda Biesiegel 1921-22J Dickson Brown Maggie Hadley 1922–24 Mabel Hart 1924-25H S Webb Miss F Sadler 1925-26 Louise Upton 1926 Miss B. Palin 1926-27Nora Collins 1927-28Violet Wadkin 1928 Claire Matthews 1928-32 Ethel Vokes 1932-34Enid Chamberlen 1934-36Joan Skinner 1936-37Miss B Wymer 1937-40Barbara Ball 1940-46War period 1946-52Tom Simmons 1953-68 W A Goff 1969-71 T Simmons 1971-73 A Simpson 1973-74 F Sell 1974-78 A Simpson 1978-80 P Messias 1980-85 J Robbins 1985-90 B Moore 1990–92 K Howland Alasdair Stark 1992–97 Derek Lowe 1997–99 Jake Gresswell 1999–00 Mark Somers 2000–01 Jon Lord 2001–04 Val Snewin 2004–05 Steven Albrecht 2005–06 Mark Somers Steven Albrecht 2007–08 Henry Blythe 2008–09 Steven Albrecht 2010–11 Lisa Kallal 2011–13 Sara Nanayakkara 2013 Henry Blythe 2013–16 Michael de Paoli 2016–22 Christina Thorp 2022–23 Jonathan Stoddart Evelyn Tichy & Joshua Morgan 2023-26 Evelyn Tichy 2026- Emily Farrer
As of 2022, Furnivall has over 150 members, of whom about 120 are full, active members the balance being social, gym and honorary life members.
Furnivall underwent a major refurbishment in 2009 creating the club's ergometer facility, the John Robbins Room. A further set of works in 2019 and 20 modernised the building throughout. The club is one of four non-academic clubs along the Hammersmith bend and in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham as a whole, excluding the very small, closed 'Nautilus Club' who are based at British Rowing Headquarters, Hammersmith and who use Great Britain-ressemblent blades. The clubs locally known as 'Furnivall', A.K. and 'Sons' form a cluster with a close rivalry and subtly different emphases on age, gender and abilities within their squads.Furnivall British Rowing
Honours British champions +YearWinning crew/s 1984 Women 1985 Women L1x 2003 Men 2006 Women 2008 Women
See also Rowing on the River Thames Frederick James Furnivall
Notes and references Notes
References
External links Official website