Your guide to the 2019 Boat Race
On 7 April, the Oxford and Cambridge rowing teams will compete in one of the world’s longest-established sporting contests: The Boat Race. Thousands of spectators will line the riverbanks between Putney and Mortlake to watch the 165th Boat Race and the 74th Women’s Boat Race, both of which now take place on the four-mile Championship Course. Before you set off for south-west London, read our guide for advice on the prime viewing points for the event, the best boat-race fashion and where to drink and dine…
What to know
The event dates back to 1829, when two friends from Harrow School – Charles Wordsworth of Christ Church College, Oxford, and Charles Merrivale of St John’s College, Cambridge – challenged their respective universities to a rowing match in Henley-on-Thames during their Easter holidays (Oxford won the contest). The second race was held in London in 1836, and has remained in the capital ever since. The first women’s race was held on the Isis in Oxford in 1927, but only became a regular event from the 1960s onwards.
When and where to watch
The programme of events kicks off at 12pm on Sunday 7 April at Bishop’s Park, London SW6. The Women’s Boat Race starts at 2.15pm and the Boat Race at 3.15pm, with the reserve boats (Osiris and Blondie, and Isis and Goldie) racing between the two main events. There are viewing points all the way along the course: gather near Putney Bridge to see the rowers set off, watch the action on the big screens at Craven Cottage, find a spot on the footpath near Hammersmith Bridge, or head further west to Chiswick, Barnes or Mortlake to follow the tense final leg of the races.
What to wear This is an occasion requiring something warm but elegant: for a comprehensive guide on how to dress on Race day, pick up the spring issue of Town & Country. Don’t forget to don sturdy footwear – designed in the competing teams’ respective Oxford Dark Blue and Cambridge Light Blue, naturally – by Aigle, the Official Boot Partner for the Boat Race.
Where to eat and drink There’s a wealth of pubs to choose from all the way along the course – try the all-day hog roast at the Crabtree in Fulham; enjoy a barbecue (preferably accompanied by a glass of gin from the nearby Sipsmith Distillery) in the heated marquee at the Black Lion near Ravenscourt Park, sample the vegan menu at Hammersmith’s Old Ship or visit the 150-year-old Duke’s Head at Putney.
