14 July 2001

Swan Upping at Shepperton

(picture & story - Lawrence Collins)

On Saturday, 14th July,  Pauline and I walked to the lock and in glorious sunshine  ‘took tea' at the refreshment kiosk.  We had just remarked how unusual it was not to meet anybody we knew when Stuart and Veronica Carpenter arrived, they told us that on Monday at about 11:00 the annual ‘swan upping' would reach Shepperton from Richmond en route for Windsor by evening.

Never having seen this ancient event we turned up at the lock the next morning in company with a small gathering of other sightseers, almost outnumbered by several camera crews including the BBC whose video, much shorter than mine, was shown on the news at 6pm that evening.

Sure enough about 11am four or five rowing skiffs appeared rounding the bend from Walton followed by a small flotilla of launches bearing Swan banners. The two oarsmen in each boat were in uniform and sitting high up in the rear was an officer complete with gold braided cap bearing a large swan feather.  

The picture shows the whole party, which filled the lock and was quite a colourful scene. We watched them leave Shepperton lock and then a mystery that had been worrying me was explained.  I could not understand how two oarsmen in each boat could row against the stream from Richmond to Windsor in one day.  Just beyond the lock towropes were passed to the launches and the whole lot disappeared at the rate of knots towards Chertsey!  I felt slightly cheated!