Peterhouse Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Peterhouse, Cambridge. It was founded on 29 April 1828 as St Peter's College Boat Club, but was renamed in 1873 to its present name. Alumni of Peterhouse Boat Club are eligible to join the Cross Keys Boat Club. While Peterhouse is the smallest of all of the colleges of Cambridge University which regularly admit both undergraduates and graduates, its crews have often performed very well, including taking the headship of the May Bumps on 28 February 1842 and that of the Lent Bumps in 1956. In the early days of the Lent and May Bumps, the Peterhouse 1st men's VIII were in the lower half of the 2nd, or even in the 3rd division, but from about 1920 rose to lie in the bottom-half of the 1st division or top-half of the 2nd division. Peterhouse performed very well in the Lent Bumps from 1950, not being bumped until 1957, and taking the headship in 1956, a year in which they also won the Ladies' Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta. Since then, the Peterhouse 1st men's VIII have spent most of their time in the top-half of the 2nd division or bottom-half of the 1st division in both events. A women's crew did not appear until 1986 and has remained in the 2nd division for most of the time since then in both the Lent and May Bumps, although the 1st women's VIII did succeed in breaking into the 1st division in the May Bumps in 2002 for the first time. Peterhouse 1st Women managed the only quadruple-overbump ever in the history of bumps racing in the May Bumps in 1986 when they managed to catch Clare III to rise 9 positions in a single day. 1948 Olympian Danny Taylor was a coach while he lectured at Peterhouse.
History
Peterhouse Boat Club was founded on 29 April 1828, and first raced in Cambridge University Bumps on 2nd May 1828. The club went Head of the River the following year, before removing itself from the start order. It returned to Head in 1842. While an undergraduate at the college, the later Lord Kelvin rowed for the club for one term at the end of his second year. The college first fielded a women's eight in the May Bumps of 1986, and then the Lent Bumps of 1987. In 2019, Olympian James Cracknell raced for the club in the May Bumps. During World War II, the college hosted members of the London School of Economics, who rowed in the Boat Club's shells during that time.
Boathouse
Peterhouse owns its own boathouse. The current building being the second boathouse to be built on the land. The first dated to 1897 and cost £880, including £280 for the land. It was replaced in 1928 with the current structure at a cost of £4000. It was designed by Montague Wheeler, who was also responsible for the design of the boat house for Trinity Hall Boat Club. The boathouse was extended in 1992 with a new shed to accommodate fours and small boats. Space in the boat house is currently leased to Murray Edwards College.
Club Kit
The club has different ties and blazers for its various crews. The tie for the first boat features a royal blue background, with a repeating pattern of three stripes, the middle one thinner than the outer ones. The blazer for first May colours is described as being a "blue blazer edged with 3/4-inch white silk ribbon and mitre and cross keys in silver on pocket". Blazer buttons have had two designs, the earlier one with a design of "St Peter's Boat Club" in a ribbon, around crossed keys, and a second one, used after the club was renamed in 1873 with a design of "Pet. Coll. Cam" below a shield with "BC" and crossed keys.
