Blue Plaque marks significance of Whanganui Rowing Club in city’s milestones

The Whanganui Rowing Club building at 1a Taupō Quay has been awarded a Blue Plaque by Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust.

The historical significance of the Whanganui Rowing Club building at 1a Taupō Quay has been recognised with the awarding of a heritage Blue Plaque.

Built in 1898, the Frontier-style wooden building was designed by Whanganui architect Thomas Harvey James, who was also a member of the rowing club and a Whanganui Collegiate School old boy. It has a Heritage New Zealand Category 2 listing.

The building is currently owned by the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration & Navigation Trust.

The Blue Plaque was sponsored by Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust and Whanganui Collegiate School.

Blue Plaques is a project of the Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust, chaired by Whanganui Deputy Mayor Helen Craig, and a national project of Historic Places Aotearoa, where Craig is an executive member. The goal is to see Blue Plaques on significant heritage buildings and sites around New Zealand. In time, they will form part of a national trail.

The Whanganui Rowing Club came into being on December 22, 1875, following a meeting of 30 men at Anderson’s Commercial Hotel. After much discussion, the subscription was set at two guineas. Mr Anderson advised he had plans for a boat house and he would guarantee £70 of the estimated £90 required, with five men each promising five guineas. A number of founding members were old boys of Whanganui Collegiate.

This led to a long relationship with Collegiate and, in 1885, resulted in it being the first school in New Zealand to adopt rowing as a sport, with boys using the club boats to train four times a week between 6am and 8am. The first race between the rowing club and Collegiate was held in March 1886, with the school winning by two lengths. The crew was CJ Wray, HP Swainson, WS Chubbin, JW Swainson and O Gardner (cox).

The Whanganui Rowing Club building at 1a Taupō Quay has been awarded a Blue Plaque by Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust.

The Frontier style is more usually associated with small towns in the United States, although there are a number of New Zealand examples in Reefton. The architect for the 1905 additions was probably TH Battle, a locally important architect of the time.

The building was used during the restoration of the paddle steamer Waimarie, which was relaunched on the Whanganui River on January 1, 2000. The building was extended and altered to accommodate the restoration programme from 1992-2000, with much of the work done by volunteers.

The building is now known as the Riverboat Centre and Museum. It houses displays on riverboats and the Waimarie, which departs from the neighbouring wharf for regular cruises up the Whanganui River. The Waimarie is the only coal-powered paddle steamer in the Southern Hemisphere.