River and Rowing Museum
About us
One of the UK’s leading independent Museums, the River & Rowing Museum has over 120,000 visitors a year
The Museum opened in 1998 to celebrate the River, the international sport of Rowing and the town of Henley on Thames. From 2004 a fourth permanent gallery, the Wind in the Willows exhibition, was added. A fifth permanent gallery dedicated to the artist John Piper opened in December 2016.
The Museum runs a broad programme of special exhibitions and activities including lectures, children’s workshops and family events. The dedicated education centre runs innovative education programmes and the Museum accommodates 20,000 education visitors a year.
A registered charity, the Museum depends upon private donations, business sponsorship, grants from trust and foundations, admission charges and the support of our benefactors, donors and friends.
Our Collections
The River & Rowing Museum has the only collection dedicated to the history of rowing in the UK.
We work closely with organisations, rowers and clubs to promote the heritage of the sport. We also encourage them to work with us to preserve their own stories. Our international collection covers the history of rowing from its roots in ancient warfare and commercial activity to its current use for recreation and competitive sport. You can view the collection online here. For more information about our collections, please visit our website.
Exhibitions and Events
The Museum has a constantly changing calendar of special exhibitions, adult lectures and workshops and children’s events – there is always something new to see! We have an extensive calendar of informative and entertaining adult lectures and workshops running throughout the year. Our family days are usually very popular and free with museum admission. Alongside our programme of bookable children’s workshops we have lots too offer for children and families during the holidays. Taylor Tug’s Under 5′s Club runs on Wednesday morning, with our new Taylor Tug Taster drop-in sessions taking place in the afternoon during term time. We also run Artways Art Club for 7-11 year olds and 11-15 year olds on Saturdays during term time.
Learning Opportunities
We have a large programme of events specifically to support schools and learning providers. Visit our website to find out more about our programme for schools.
