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The new balcony extension at Leander Club, Henley-on-Thames.
27 June 2015
By Tim Koch
While visiting Henley for the Henley Women’s Regatta, I had my first opportunity to see the new balcony at Leander Club. The club says of the new structure:
The balcony… wraps around the west elevation of the club, overlooking the river and extending to the external staircase by the club’s lawn. Spanning approximately 55 sq m (550 sq ft), it has been designed by local architects Spratley & Partners to complement the existing clubhouse and its scenic riverfront setting. The design is also sympathetic to the balcony that the club previously enjoyed (when first built) in 1896.
This exciting addition to our club will provide another fantastic social space for our members to enjoy, following the success of our riverfront deck. In addition, both the existing dining and balcony rooms will be enhanced with new full-height glazing and doors, offering stunning views of the Henley reach while maintaining the clubhouse’s existing roofline.
No balcony, no club. The land that Leander leased from Henley Town Council in 1896 on which to build a clubhouse in addition to the one they used at Putney.The open balcony pictured in 1898, soon after the clubhouse, then intended for summer use only, was completed. The construction cost £2,500 with annual running costs estimated at £65. Ladies were asked to refrain from sitting on the part of the balcony in front of the members’ smoking rooms, a rule only abolished in the late 1970s.At some stage the balcony was glazed and enclosed. This picture was taken in the 1960s by the famous Australian sculler, Stuart “Sam” Mackenzie.Until recently, the full glazing had been reduced to partial glazing, only at the upper level, presumably to conserve heat. Picture: Grey Arrows Drone Club.Hanging around the Leader Bar in late June, you should not be surprised at who you bump into. However, I was delighted to meet Pelham Higgins, a nephew of six-time Diamond Sculls winner, Sam Mackenzie. Pelham is pictured here with his uncle’s silver medal from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Pelham also had some pictures from the Mackenzie family album. Sam is pictured here at the Leander raft sometime in the 1960s.Sam at Leander in 1961, a screenshot from a cinema newsreel.
Hear The Boat Sing 
Thank you, Tim – I wish my uncle Sam and my mother (Sam’s special sister) were still alive for me to tell them about our nice meeting at Leander Club.