It’s the end of an era for the Riverside Club by Cobden Bridge in St Denys, as the social club closed for the last time following its New Year’s Eve party. The Boat Club itself however is having a "resurgence".
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The opening of what's now St Denys Boat Club in May 1914. The Riverside Club was later on the first floor
The Riverside Club has closed because owner Ve Lewis is retiring, and the lease on the premises has expired.
The first floor of the waterfront building, owned by St Denys Boat Club, has been a private social club for almost 50 years, firstly as the Pigeon Club, and latterly as the Riverside Club.
“It used to be called the Pigeon Club, and that’s what everybody knew it as,” Ve, who ran the Riverside Club for 15 years, told bitternepark.info.
“That’s what used to happen: guys who flew pigeons here, there and everywhere used to meet up here… but you’re talking probably 30-odd years ago that’s what was happening.”
“The guy before me renamed it The Riverside Club, 15 or 20 years ago, I suppose.”
She said that it was the people, "every single one of them," that made it, and her time at the club, special. And of course the wonderful view over the river.
James Wardle, club captain of the St Denys Boat Club, wished Ve all the best for her retirement, and said it was sad to see the Riverside Club close.
He thanked Ve and all her regulars for their support over the last 15 years.
James said the idea is now for the Boat Club to use the Riverside’s first floor premises for a mix of club activities, public classes in everything from Wing Chun to paddleboard yoga, and for some kind of “family-friendly wine bar” or café to occupy the lounge space in the evenings and at weekends.
“We’re really keen to find someone who wants to run a part-time bar or café, and make it a bit more open to the public than it has been,” he said.
“With the Riverside Club, it’s been a private members’ club for the last 20 years. We’d like to make it somewhere much more accessible for the local community – somewhere where you could sit by the river and hang out with a cup of coffee and a nice slice of cake or something.”
Meanwhile downstairs there’s recently been a change of name from the St Denys Sailing and Rowing Club (pictured above in about 2011) to simply St Denys Boat Club, reflecting the wider range of river activities now supported: kayaking and paddleboarding are now really popular, for example.
“We’ve had a bit of a resurgence over the last few years, and become a lot more family friendly, and got younger people more involved, just coming down and getting out on the water,” said James.
• The club is currently running a New Year offer of 15 months’ unlimited boating for £12 a month, with accompanied children free and with all boats provided. For more club details visit https://www.stdenysboats.co.uk
Previously
Messing about on the river - an appreciation of the boat club