University College Boathouse is the boathouse of University College Boat Club (UCBC) on the southern bank of the River Thames in Oxford, England. It is owned by University College.[1] UCBC's Boathouse has become an iconic and very recognisable architectural statement in and around Oxford.[2]
The original 19th century boathouse, designed by John Oldrid Scott, was destroyed through arson in 1999. After eight years, a new boathouse was finished, designed by Belsize Architects. The Boathouse has been awarded a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) prize.[3][4] The £2.7million structure has enjoyed a very favourable reception in the architectural world. An article describes the structure as not just a boathouse, but "a grandstand of the first order" arguing that it represents a new age in rowing.[5]
The Saturday of Eights Week, the main summer rowing event of Oxford University, in 2007 saw the opening of the new boathouse by Colin Moynihan (1974), who coxed for University College and Oxford University, won a silver medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, gained a boxing Blue, later became Minister of Sport, and then Chairman of the British Olympic Association. The ceremony also marked the dedication of the Coleman Viewing Terrace by Jimmy Coleman (1963) and Jamie Coleman (1994); it is named due to their gift.