Kingston Regatta is a rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 regatta

Regatta

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

, on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in England which takes place at Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 on the reach above Teddington Lock

Teddington Lock

Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames in England at Ham in the western suburbs of London. The lock is on the southern Surrey side of the river....

.

The regatta takes place in July and forms part of the Kingston River Festival. It attracts top crews from schools, clubs and universities from around the UK. Racing takes place on the 1000 metre downstream course that stretches alongside Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...

 Park and ends just upstream of Kingston Bridge

Kingston Bridge, London

Kingston Bridge is a road bridge at Kingston upon Thames in London, England, carrying the A308 across the River Thames. It joins the town centre of Kingston in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, to Hampton Court Park, Bushy Park, and the village of Hampton Wick in the London Borough of...

. International and Olympic rowers who have won at Kingston Regatta include Jack Beresford

Jack Beresford

Jack Beresford, CBE, was a British rower who won medals at five Olympic Games in succession, an Olympic record in rowing, which has since been tied by Steven Redgrave.-Early life:...

, Tim Crooks

Tim Crooks

Timothy John Crooks is a former British rower who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He was seven times winner at Henley Royal Regatta and won the Wingfield Sculls three times....

, Kieran West

Kieran West

Kieran Martin West, MBE is a British rower and Olympic champion.-Education:Born in Kingston upon Thames, West was educated at Dulwich College, in south-east London, before going to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1995, to study for a BA in Economics and Land Economy, followed by a PGCE in...

 and James Cracknell

James Cracknell

James Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children. In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport...

.

Kingston Regatta was first raced on 1st and 2nd of June 1857 and, for the first 80 years, was run from Kingston Rowing Club

Kingston Rowing Club

Kingston Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, based in England, founded in 1858.The club is one of the world's oldest and most successful amateur rowing clubs...

 whose boathouse was on Raven's Ait

Raven's Ait

Raven's Ait is an ait in the Thames at Surbiton, in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London, England, in the reach above Teddington Lock. It is situated upstream of Queen's Promenade where it departs from the river, and opposite Thames Sailing Club, home of the Thames A Class Raters...

. The Regatta was a major event in both the sporting and social calendar. The Regatta moved from Raven’s Ait in 1937 to Canbury Gardens

Canbury Gardens

Canbury Gardens is a public space in Kingston upon Thames, along the Lower Ham Road, covering 14-and-a-half-acres area between the road and the towpath along the River Thames, downstream from Kingston Railway Bridge.-History:...

after the Club moved to Turk’s Boat House in Lower Ham Road. The Regatta moved to its current site opposite the town centre in 1991.