Royal Corinthian Yacht Club
Encyclopedia
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1872. Over the years, it has operated from a number of locations but now exists with a northern and southern branch at Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch.-History:Historically, it has benefited from its location on the coast - first as a ferry port, later as a fishing port known for its oyster beds, and most recently as a...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, and at Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
respectively.
The Club provided the crew for the Endeavour
Endeavour (Yacht)
Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...
in Thomas Sopwith
Thomas Sopwith
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS was an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman.-Early life:...
's America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
Challenge in 1934 after a strike of Sopwith's professional crew.
Burnham-on-Crouch
In 1931, a new clubhouse at Burnham-on-Crouch was opened. The Grade II* listed building was designed by Joseph EmbertonJoseph Emberton
Joseph Emberton was an English architect of the early modernist period. He was born 23 December 1889 in Audley, Staffordshire and was educated at the Royal College of Art. He first worked for the London architects Trehearne and Norman between 1913-1914, before serving as a gunner in the Honourable...
and represented Britain's contribution to the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1932. The building is one of the few examples of the International style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
of architecture in Britain. The Club at Burnham has a stable membership of 550 and is well known on the East Coast for organising one design regattas, a cruiser programme and a junior sailing programme called ‘Otters’.
Cowes
In 1948, the Club established its Southern branch at Cowes in the present Clubhouse. The building has a varied history and started life as a fishermen’s beer house in the 18th Century. In a different guise it gained some notoriety during the Edwardian period. It was operated by Rosa LewisRosa Lewis
Rosa Lewis, née Ovenden was a British chef and owner of The Cavendish Hotel in London, located at the intersection of Jermyn Street and Duke Street, St James. Known as the "Queen of Cooks", her culinary skills were highly prized by Edward VII, with whom she was rumoured to have had an affair in...
, a hotelier from London to provide a retreat and entertainment for gentlemen visiting the Royal Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...
.
Tiny Mitchell
F.G. Mitchell
Frederick G. Mitchell was a leading British businessman who founded a major international construction business and promoted the development of a new range of helicopters.-Career:...
, Commodore of the Royal Corinthian in Burnham wanted to sail his 6 metre in the Solent and he bought the building from Rosa's estate, and set up the Southern branch. It was run privately until his death, when the executors sold it to a consortium in the 1960s. It continued life as a private Club until it was sold to a private individual at the end of the 1980s.
The new business was very heavily dependent on debt finance and foundered. The Clubhouse was re-purchased from the receiver in late 1992 by a small group of members for the benefit of the Club. The repayment of the financing of that purchase by all the Members was completed in 1999 enabling the Club to become a Members Club.
It is now 12 years since the re-establishment of the Club at Cowes. Many new Members have been added to the core that was previously associated with the Club before this period of interruption. The Club’s sailing programme and events for visiting yachtsmen have developed rapidly and there is great potential for social activity amongst the Members as well as continuing the development of the Club’s use by visiting yachtsmen.
The Cowes branch of the Club has over 800 Members. Its position, the style of the Clubhouse and its grounds set it apart from the other Clubs in Cowes. It is the favourite spot for relaxing after sailing, and its ambience has also helped it be successful in attracting visiting yacht clubs and classes.