The MET, to give the Regatta its popular name, was held for the first time on 14 August 1866. Of the eight events offered, four had the famous challenge trophies which today still attract crews and scullers of the highest standards to claim their prized medal and join the list of their famous predecessors as winners of:-
The entry details for the first three of these stated that "The above events are open to the world." The London Cup forms part of Scullings "triple crown" in conjunction with the Diamond Challenge Sculls and the Wingfield Sculls. Charles Dickens Jnr. was the Regattas first Hon. Secretary and, in 1866, the entry fees were somewhat less than todays with Champion Eights costing 6 Guineas and the London Cup 1 Guinea. Crew names still appear in today's programme as in the early editions, however the names of substitutes do not. Income for the Regatta, then, as now, was never abundant. With a severe lack of funds, the management of the MET was transferred to London Rowing Club in 1869. The Committee of Management bought and accepted other challenge trophies after the initial four cups:-
The Committee was particularly grateful to Putney Town Regatta in 1998 for making available some of their fine old trophies on long-term loan to the MET:-
The Regatta continued to run on a course between Putney and Hammersmith, initially of a mile-and-three-quarters, until to 1977. A shorter course of 2,000 metres, with stakeboats, was set in the 1960's but the MET was still held on three consecutive weekday evenings up to 1965. For the Centenary Regatta in 1966, a daring break with tradition was made and the Regatta was held on a Sunday and, as such, was one of the first major rowing events to do this. It was hoped that this change would allow more oarsmen to attend this and future Regattas. For the Centenary Regatta, not only were solid silver medals re-introduced specifically for that year, but also a passenger steamer was used, as in the very early races, to provide spectators with a good view of the racing and, perhaps more importantly, to provide a bar that could remain open all day! A Sunday Regatta remained in the calendar until 1972. It became clear that the top British crews wanted to race on still water, under multi-lane conditions and 1977 was the last time that the MET was run on the Tideway. With the bold decision to move the Regatta away from the Metropolis and its traditional home, 1980 saw the re-launch of the MET at Thorpe Park, Surrey. Here, in amongst disused gravel pits, the first senior multi-lane regatta in the south-east of England was held on four-lanes over 1,500 metres. This extra capacity allowed the introduction of women's events to help meet their need for more competition. Whilst the move provided the conditions being sought by top crews, income from sources other than entry fees was limited. For the first time, considerable expenditure was incurred with the provision of tentage and mobile toilets. It was the re-introduction of Subscribers which, in addition to some sympathetic sponsorship, allowed the MET to remain solvent through the following years. Thorpe Park was home for the Regatta until 1987. With continuing demands for multi-lane rowing, together with the importance attached by the Committee of Management to help with the development of a major rowing course in the south-east, the Regatta returned to the Metropolis in 1988 - to the Royal Albert Dock. The dock, built in 1880, provided a seven lane course and a racing distance of 1,750 metres. Building on an increased number of entries and Subscribers (several of whom are members of clubs other than London), the MET became a two-day regatta again in 1990 and now regularly attracts some 800 entries. The MET went on to celebrate its 125th Anniversary in style in 1991 awarding, once again, solid silver medals for the premier events and also a newly commissioned 'Regatta Medal' for use by those events without a specific medal accompanying a trophy. In 1996, thanks to the generosity of one of the MET’s Subscribers, a replacement die was cut for the Layton Cup medal which is presented to the winners of the men’s elite coxed fours event. The die for this medal had failed some years earlier during stamping and insufficient funds prevented its replacement. The new die was faithfully reproduced from the original one made in the 1930s by the famous medal manufacturer, John Pinches. Despite its tradition, the MET has been no stranger to innovation over the years. In 1996, the MET became the first regatta in England to use the FISA "traffic light" starting system. However, unlike FISA, the MET hired nine real traffic lights and rigged those up on the starting pontoons. As a safety precaution, due to water conditions near the start, the entire Regatta was cancelled in 1999 after just 11 races had been attempted. This was the first time that such regretful action had had to be taken by the Committee. With a postponement in racing, again due to water conditions at the start, 2000 was the last year in which the MET was held on the Royal Albert Dock - albeit over its newly extended distance of 2,000m. The opportunity to re-locate the Regatta in 2001 to Eton Colleges partially constructed, but purpose-built, rowing course at Dorney was confirmed and, once again, the MET became one of the first open Regattas to be held on a new course. Now completed, the international-standard course at Dorney Lake has eight racing lanes over 2,000m and a separate channel for crews proceeding to the start. Dorney Lake was the venue for the 2006 World Rowing Championships and will be the venue for the 2012 Olympics. |
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE REGATTA