St Paul’s Post The Championship Course The Championship Course is a 6.779 km rowing course marked out along the tidal Thames between Putney and Chiswick. It has been used for the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race since 1845 and, in the downriver direction, for the Tideway heads from November to April. There are permanent marker posts for the start and finish points and an obelisk in memory of the founder of the Head of the River Race, Steve Fairbairn, one mile from the Putney marker. Until now there has been no official landmark for the halfway point.
The complete set of markers for the Championship Course
The St Paul’s Post Project Since the school moved to its current Barnes site, which spans the riverfront from Chiswick Eyot to Hammersmith Bridge, in 1968, there have been several proposals to install a halfway marker for the course. In summer 2022, Old Pauline Chris Harris proposed the current scheme, having contacted the Port of London Authority to determine the definitive halfway point. The school was supportive of the project and agreed to provide funds. Taking inspiration from existing course markers, a fourmetre oak post, in the black and white livery of St Paul’s School, has been installed in time for the spring head season and the Boat Race.
Initial sketch of the design