Riverside west of the Tower and north of the river. Chiswick Dukes Meadows more sport


This post shows sites north of the river only. South of the river is Barnes Bridge

Post to the west Chiswick Dukes Meadow sports and Riverside Mortlake
Post to the south Barnes Common
Post to the east Barnes
Post to the north Old Chiswick



Dan Mason Drive
This road is named after the founder of Cherry Blossom Boot Polish
Tom Green’s Boathouse. Thomas George Green was apprenticed to his father as a waterman in 1864. In later life he became a King’s Waterman.  In 1876, Tom Green he bought a rundown boathouse rebuilt it and a fleet of boats to hire. The boathouse became the headquarters of several rowing clubs and regatta committees. His son Young Tom’ took over the boathouse on the death of his father, in 1925.  Between 1925 and 1975 Green’s carried on as if the world was not changing, particularly as regards health and safety and ideas on basic sanitation.  Tom and his wife, Kate, continued, the premises decaying around them., in 1957 sixteen men’s clubs and two women’s clubs used the premises. Young Tom died in 1958 in the rooms about the boat racks where he was born 84 years earlier. In 1923 the land upon which Green’s stood had been bought from the Duke of Devonshire by Chiswick Urban District Council, and who wanted to build a community boathouse on the site. They did not do so until Mrs. Green died in 1975 and the boathouse burnt down in 1977.
Chiswick Boathouse. This is owned by the London Borough of Hounslow and built in 1973.  It is a two storey reinforced concrete, brick and glass boathouse designed by the Borough Architect George A Trevett. There is Boat storage on ground floor and changing rooms also serve adjoining sports pitches for club and community use. Numerous clubs use it. It is on the site of Tom Greens boathouse. They include below:
Old Meadonians Football Club. The club was founded in 1929 by the Old Boys of Chiswick County Grammar School. The name "Meadonians" originates from the early name of the School - "The School in the Meadows"..
Thames Tradesmen Rowing Club. This dates from 1897.
Old Harrovian Association Football Club. This dates from 1859 and claims to be the second oldest football club still in existence. This is despite the fact that in 1927 soccer was abolished at Harrow in favour of Rugby.  They started again in 1963 despite a lot of controversy.
Chiswick School Boat club. This is for pupils at the school,
London Oratory School Boat Club.
Hounslow Hockey Club.
Old Haberdashers
Barnes Hockey Club.
Ibis Football Club. It dates from 1913 and was part of the Prudential Clerks Society, renamed the Ibis Society.  Before the Second World War the Prudential, negotiated on behalf of the Ibis Society, a lease of a ground at Chiswick, but during the war, the ground was requisitioned until 1946-47. In the 1990s Ibis became detached from Prudential and became a private clubs. The Chiswick ground became a golf range and now a 9-hole course. In 2007 the opportunity arose to move back to Chiswick
Chiswick Rugby Club.   This used to be the Old Meadonians Rugby Football club founded in 1958 for the former pupils of Chiswick County Grammar School for boys.  Originally the team played at the School but in the early 60s loaned pitches at Osterley and then rented a clubhouse from Spelthorne Sports Club. During the early ‘70s the club moved to Dukes Meadows and transformed the school pavilion changing rooms previously into a clubhouse. They also stopped recruiting school Old Boys. In 1999, arsonists destroyed the Clubhouse and it was rebuilt and opened in 2005. They are on the other side of the road from the Chiswick Boathouse.

Dukes Meadows
Kings House Sports Grounds. This is what was the Civil Service Sports Club. It now seems to be owned by some private school although the ground still seems to be called ‘Civil Service’. The Civil Service Sports Club itself is a large organisation based in High Wycombe.
Civil Service Football Club. The club is the only surviving association football club from the original eleven clubs who founded The Football Association in 1863. They have played at Dukes Meadow since 1925.

Riverside Drive
Pillars Sports Club. There is a big clubhouse here which seems to be hired out.
Riverside Health and Racquets Club. Commercially run sports venue
Dan Mason Memorial Gateway, in 1928 a memorial gateway was erected to Dan Mason at the entrance to the company sports field. This would appear to be roughly on the entrance to the Virgin Active car park, and seems to have gone
Charles Mason Memorial Retreat.  This building was erected in 1929 with a plaque on the rear saying “This retreat is erected by The Employees of The Chiswick Polish Co Ltd, As a tribute to The Memory of Charles Mason ESQ, December 1929. It is now in use as a car wash by Virgin Active.

Staveley Gardens
Tinplate Factory. In 1923 Cherry Blossom acquired land on Dukes Meadows from Chiswick Urban District Council to build a Tinplate Printing and Cardboard box factory. The factory had a giant thermometer and a barometer out onto  the factory chimney. The dial of the barometer was 9ft in diameter, mounted 48 feet from the ground; the thermometer scale covered almost the entire height of the tower, the other 3 faces of the tower had clocks.

The Promenade
Bandstand, A seaside-type promenade and a bandstand stand on the riverfrint and were opened by the Prince Albert, Duke of York in 1926. It has been refurbished with private funding and is used for summer events.
The Civil Service boat house is home to Cygnet RC and Barnes Bridge Ladies RC. The hard is shared with Emmanuel School BC and a local canoe club. It is rented from the Port of London Authority.
Cygnet Rowing Club , this was set up in 1890 and is based at what was called the Civil Service Sports Club Boathouse which adjoins the boathouse of the Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club. It was originally founded for non-manual male workers in the General Post Office and moved to the CSSC Boathouse in the 1930s. After the Second World War it was decided to merge several Civil Service rowing clubs that into Cygnet., whose blades are a mid-blue, between shades of those featured in a wide band toward the tips of Cygnet RC's blades.
Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club
Emmanuel School Rowing Club.  The boat club for pupils of Emanuel School, Battersea Rise,
Masonian Bowls Club. This began when Dan & Charles Mason leased land from Chiswick Urban Council, and built a club for their employees called Chiswick Polish Athletic Club and this included a bowls green. Then the club name was changed to Masonian Athletic Club, and the Masonian Bowls club was formed in 1925.   In 1983 after the factory closed the club was asked to move. They moved onto the Burlington Bowls Club green which was derelict.

Sources
Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club. Web site
Barnes Hockey Club. Web site
Civil Service Football Club. Web site
Cherry Blossom factory. Web site
Chiswick Rugby Club. Web site
Chiswick School. Web site
Cygnet Rowing Club. Web site
Dukes Meadows Park. Web site
Emmanuel School Rowing Club, Web site
Hear the Boat Sing. Web site
Hounslow Hockey Club Web site
Ibis Football Club. Web site
London Borough of Hounslow. Web sit4e
London Oratory School. Web site
Old Harrovians Association Football Club. Web site
Old Meadonians Football Club. Web site
Thames Tradesmen Rowing Club. Web site

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