Introduction
It is, unfortunately difficult to establish the exact history of Huntingdon Boat Club as most of the early records of the club were destroyed in 1958 when the boathouse where they were stored was flooded. Much of the history of the club was also held in the minds older members and sadly many of these members have long since passed away. However there is still a nucleus of members and families who have had a long association with the club, and it is from their memories and remaining documentation that was not destroyed in the flood of 1958 that this history is taken from. Tracing the post 1958 history to modern times has been somewhat easier as much of the documentation and records are still in existence.
Huntingdon Boat Club was founded in 1854 with the aim to “Promote and further the interest of rowing in Huntingdon”, which remains as true today as it was then.
Huntingdon Boat Club was one of the first clubs to be founded away from the Thames Valley and was the first boat club to be founded in County of Huntingdonshire , as the area was known then. A further sign of the longevity of the club is demonstrated by the designation of Boat Club as opposed to Rowing Club, which tends to be used by clubs founded after 1860.