Post by Administrator on May 5, 2014 15:43:49 GMT
Each year Her Majesty’s Royal Watermen complete a marathon row from Hampton Court Palace to the Tower of London, a distance of some 25 miles.
They do this to support the apprentices system of the trade of Thames Watermen and Lightermen and to draw attention to London’s great under used asset ~ The River Thames.
They also commemorate events of 1256 when Queen Eleanor’s royal barge sank under the old London Bridge with the loss of one of her courtiers, the Lady of the Bedchamber.
The Queen has a retinue of 22 appointed Watermen with her Royal Bargemaster to oversee and organise their duties ~ these consist of accompanying Her Majesty when travelling on the river, at State visits and at the State Opening of Parliament.
Men are chosen for this honour for the dedication to their trade and for their prowess as oarsmen. Several of the men in the Queen’s retinue have competed in the Olympics and many in major events within the sport of rowing.
After the ceremony of accepting the ‘Stela’ at Hampton Court Palace HM Bargemaster carries the emblem, made from a slice of Medieval elm water pipe, placing it aboard the Queen’s Row Barge ‘Gloriana’.
During the Tudor Pull the barge is accompanied by traditional oar powered Watermen’s Cutters belonging to the Livery Companies of the City of London dressed in their full company regalia, the Royal Shallop ‘The Jubilant’, the Watermen’s Shallop ‘Lady Mayoress’ and by other craft from organisation and rowing clubs who preserve the sport of fixed seat rowing on the River Thames ~ this wonderful Royal highway of the City of London.
Following a short stop at Richmond the crews row down to the pool of London arriving at HM The Tower of London where the pageant disembark and the ‘Stela’, escorted by Yoeman Warder of the Tower, is processed to be presented to the Governor of H.M. Tower of London.
At a short ceremony he accepts the ‘Stela’ under his protection until it is returned to Hampton Court Palace for the following years procession.
The Tudor Pull is organised under the governance of the ‘Thames Traditional Rowing Association’.
More information at::
www.traditionalrowing.com
www.jubilant.org.uk
www.thamesalive.org.uk
They do this to support the apprentices system of the trade of Thames Watermen and Lightermen and to draw attention to London’s great under used asset ~ The River Thames.
They also commemorate events of 1256 when Queen Eleanor’s royal barge sank under the old London Bridge with the loss of one of her courtiers, the Lady of the Bedchamber.
The Queen has a retinue of 22 appointed Watermen with her Royal Bargemaster to oversee and organise their duties ~ these consist of accompanying Her Majesty when travelling on the river, at State visits and at the State Opening of Parliament.
Men are chosen for this honour for the dedication to their trade and for their prowess as oarsmen. Several of the men in the Queen’s retinue have competed in the Olympics and many in major events within the sport of rowing.
After the ceremony of accepting the ‘Stela’ at Hampton Court Palace HM Bargemaster carries the emblem, made from a slice of Medieval elm water pipe, placing it aboard the Queen’s Row Barge ‘Gloriana’.
During the Tudor Pull the barge is accompanied by traditional oar powered Watermen’s Cutters belonging to the Livery Companies of the City of London dressed in their full company regalia, the Royal Shallop ‘The Jubilant’, the Watermen’s Shallop ‘Lady Mayoress’ and by other craft from organisation and rowing clubs who preserve the sport of fixed seat rowing on the River Thames ~ this wonderful Royal highway of the City of London.
Following a short stop at Richmond the crews row down to the pool of London arriving at HM The Tower of London where the pageant disembark and the ‘Stela’, escorted by Yoeman Warder of the Tower, is processed to be presented to the Governor of H.M. Tower of London.
At a short ceremony he accepts the ‘Stela’ under his protection until it is returned to Hampton Court Palace for the following years procession.
The Tudor Pull is organised under the governance of the ‘Thames Traditional Rowing Association’.
More information at::
www.traditionalrowing.com
www.jubilant.org.uk
www.thamesalive.org.uk