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A Brief History of E.S.B.C.

Like many of the older schools in Britain, Emanuel traces its beginnings to a charity, in this case an almshouse founded in 1594 in the City of London. In the 19th century a gradual expansion in the number of pupils and change in the school's status led to the move to a commanding position on a hill in south west London, in what where then semi-rural surroundings. To the massive Victorian buildings occupied in 1883, many additions have been made in the past 110 years. Today the school has a staff of 61 teachers and 710 boys, all of them day boys.

The School Boat Club is of comparatively recent origin, its founder being a Russian boy named Treshatny. In 1913 he persuaded four fellow pupils to join him in a four which, he reported, 'caused no small sensation' on the river. It was in fours that Emanuel first made its name in competitive rowing. Emanuel eights appeared in regattas in the 1920s and soon began to chalk up their successes. However it was not until the 1960s that the school oarsmen could really be said to have started to cause 'no small sensation'.

In 1962 Emanuel went head for the first time in the Schools' Head of the River, a race in which all of Britain's school crews compete. This was to be the first of 11 such wins in the next thirty years, a record for any school. In 1966 the VIII not only won the Schools' Head, it also set the still standing record for schools of coming sixth in the Tideway Open Head in which the vast majority of entrants - some 330 in that year - are adult crews. In July this crew won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at that years Henley Royal Regatta, and later in the summer handsomely beat Holland in an international match, which was a precursor of the Junior World Championships. Emanuel's place as one of the country's leading rowing schools was firmly established.

Some measure of the ensuing achievement of Emanuel School Boat Club can be gauged from the numbers of its past members representing Great Britain in international rowing since 1967. Between them they have made 78 appearances to date, in 1975 the school's VIII was selected in its entirety as the British VIII to race in Montreal at the World Junior Championships. The Emanuel tally of international medals to date is 15 Gold's; 12 Silver, (including one Olympic eights) and 5 Bronze.

The School Boathouse is situated on the Thames at Barnes Bridge and was built and presented to the Boat Club by the Wates brothers who were old boys of the school. The Club has one of the best equipped fleets in the country, and is supported by a highly skilled boatman, who prides himself on maintaining the equipment in top condition. With the support of the coaching staff the Club has one aim in mind : to produce crews who will perform with distinction and be among the top placed schools in the country at the major competitions such as the Fours Head, Schools' Head, National Schools' Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta.

Like any top club in any sport, Emanuel School Boat Club over the past 30 years has had its downs as well as its ups. Whatever its fortunes, its Rowing Masters and coaches have consistently followed the first principle laid down by the greatest of all rowing coaches, Steve Fairbairn: enjoy your rowing.