Thames Ditton Regatta
Boyle Farm Island
A small left bank island downstream of Thames Ditton Island.
Thames Ditton Island
Left Bank of main channel. Left bank channel for small boats only
Thames Ditton Island Website
Thames Ditton Village
Thames Ditton Church, 1817
1859: The Thames, Mr & Mrs Hall
[Coming downstream] Having passed the confluence of the Mole with the Thames, our boat
sweeps by the palace gardens, and we glide swiftly along between the
Home Park and the pretty village of Thames Ditton. Once again we
find ourselves amidst a flotilla of punts, and great is the amount of
serious fishing we observe to be going on. On our right some small
willow-bearing islands attract notice, and we learn that these are
spots famous in the history of Thames picnic parties — so famous.
indeed, that during the summer season they vie with Bushy Park itself
as scenes of much happy and harmless enjoyment of this description.
We pass the islands, and land on the Surrey bank of the river, with the
view of improving our acquaintance with Ditton.
In the Domesday
Book it is stated that "Wadard holds of the Bishop (of Bayeux) Ditone,
in the hundred of Kingstone"; and it included the rich manors of
Cleygate and Weston — the former belonging to the abbots of Westminster,
the latter to the nuns of Barking.
The church is "of remote origin, but has been greatly altered at different times, and enlarged by
additional erections".
It contains some remarkable tombs and brasses,
most of them of a late period.
1896: Thames Ditton, Francis Frith -
1896: Thames Ditton, Francis Frith
1955: Thames Ditton, Francis Frith -
1955: Thames Ditton, Francis Frith
Record Rows by Dittons Skiff & Punting Club
River Thames crew record
1988 Fastest time to row 186 miles of the River Thames from Lechlade to Southend Pier ~ 39hrs 27mins
This was by Three Men in a Boat (no dog) in a racing double skiff, the crew sculling in rotation; they beat the previous record by over 24 hours.
24 hours non-stop rowing
1994 Longest distance rowed in 24hrs ~ 141.26 miles.
This was in the Club IV sculler skiff 'Sandy' with a six-man crew who were on board at all times. They completed 17 trips from Hampton Court to Teddington and back VERY boring! They beat the distance set by an Australian racing VIII by over 4 miles.
English Channel crew record
1996 Fastest time to row the 22 miles of the English Channel ~ 2 hrs 42 minutes 20 seconds.
This was in a Watermans' Cutter rigged for six scullers with a cox. The crew beat the previous record by 53 minutes (the return crew also beat the previous record!)
London to Paris crew record
1999 Fastest time to row the 480 miles London to Paris ~ 106hrs 14 minutes 54 seconds.
Once again in a Cutter rigged for six scullers but with a squad of 15 rotating 3hrs on 3hrs off. The elapsed time includes 12hrs waiting in Dover for a storm to blow itself out. The crews then raced up the non-tidal River Seine doing timed pieces after over 300 miles sculling.
River Thames crew record
2004 Fastest time to row 186 mile of the River Thames from Lechlade to Southend Pier ~ 30hrs 57 mins 33 seconds.
This was in the TTBS IV sculled Shallop 'Sgian Dubh' once again with a six man crew on board at all times ~ they were successful where 25 other crews had failed over the past 10 years taking 5 hrs off the record time.
River Thames single handed record
2005 Fastest time to single scull 165 miles of the River Thames from Lechlade to Gravesend ~ 43hrs 40 minutes
This was in a single racing skiff (supported by over 60 people) beating the previous record by 16 hours.