Grand night of celebrations for Lady Margaret Boat Club Bicentenary
A sea of red blazers descended on St John’s College for a special reunion dinner celebrating the bicentenary of Lady Margaret Boat Club.
The event was held in College on 13 September and attended by around 250 former members of the LMBC, including Olympians Neil Christie (1972), Jamie Macleod (1972), Annamarie Phelps (1984), and Guy Pooley (1987). They were also joined by legendary rowing umpire David Biddulph (1969).
This marked the highlight of the 200th anniversary celebrations for the boat club, which the College’s Master Heather Hancock hailed as an “extraordinary milestone”.
She told those assembled for dinner in Hall: “Since its formation, LMBC has been a source of pride for John’s, emblematic of the pioneering spirit in this College, and, dare I say, the model of a boat club for any other. From the off, with the radical move of putting an eight on the river in Cambridge and establishing the Boat Race in 1829, Maggie provided leadership and impetus to shape varsity and international rowing.”
She also praised the LMBC for fostering “lifelong friendships built on deep trust and shared experience”.
The day began with groups gathering for an informal row on the Cam, before drinks were served at 7pm on the Paddocks next to New Court cloisters, followed by dinner in Hall and a long evening of reminiscing in the Bar. Dress code for the evening was Scarlet blazer or black tie.
In Hall were former club members of all ages, from those who had attended the 150th anniversary dinner for LMBC, right through to the College’s newest graduates.
Begun in 1825 by 12 members of St John’s, the club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, grandmother of Henry VIII, and founder of the College. It was the first boat club in Cambridge, and St John’s rowers created the iconic Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race just four years later in 1829. LMBC was also the first to bring an ‘eight-oared’ boat to the Cam. Fours had been introduced by Trinity College several years earlier.
At the reunion dinner, the club’s Honorary Secretaries Eleanor Laughton (2020) and Harry Fieldhouse (2018) both gave speeches.
Eleanor praised the contribution of women to the club’s history. She said: “Women arrived at St John’s College and subsequently the Lady Margaret Boat Club in 1982, marking this as the 43rd anniversary of women at LMBC and what a 43 years they have been. Undeterred by the small head start of the men, these women, many in this room tonight, have more than matched them in the incredible successes of Lady Margaret Boat Club.”
Afterwards, she remarked: “It was inspiring to be among so many legends of the rowing world and to hear tales of their time at LMBC. It also put into perspective how large the LMBC family is and how no matter where life takes us, we will always be Maggie at heart.”
Meanwhile Harry added: “It was phenomenal to see so many members of the club, spread all the way over the last 70 years of the club attending the dinner to reunite, mark the bicentenary of the LMBC’s founding, and to celebrate its history. Everyone coming together for the dinner was a great finale to the bicentenary events held over this year.”
As part of the bicentenary celebrations, we are raising £750,000 to create a more functional, future-proofed boathouse to support year-round training. To date, almost £500,000 has been donated, with the next £60,000 donated to be matched pound for pound by Aubrey Adams (1967). This means the College has been able to commission plans for the renovation, which will deliver essential upgrades including eight new erg machines, better weight training facilities and improved indoor space that will allow three eights to train at once. You can support the campaign online.