Grosvenor Rowing Club
| Grosvenor Rowing Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Motto | Virtus non stemma |
| Location | Groves, Chester, England |
| Home water | River Dee |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Affiliations | British Rowing |
| Website |
grosvenor-rowingclub |
Grosvenor Rowing Club is based on the Groves in Chester. It rows on the River Dee and has around 30 km of rowable river at its disposal.
The club colours are blue and gold, the blades and boats being blue and orange.
History
The club was formed in 1869 to enable the less fortunate people of Chester to take up the sport of rowing. The club's crest states "Virtus non stemma" which translates to "Valor, not garland" or "Virtue, not pedigree" (This is derived from the motto of the Duke of Westminster's (Earl Grosvenor) Eaton Hall home, which is further up the River Dee. The motto also sums up the open membership of the club since its inauguration; originally contradictory to the membership of the close by Royal Chester Rowing Club which was traditionally home to the alumni of the public King's School.
Grosvenor is named in honour of the Grosvenor family who own the land on which the club is built. The club names its VIIIs after members of the Grosvenor family.
Recent success
In 2014 Grosvenor's senior women's intermediate club fours won The Lester Trophy at Henley Women's Regatta.[1]
Grosvenor's first VIII finished 14th at the 2008 Head of the River Race after starting 153rd, beaten narrowly to the Jackson Trophy (Cup for British non-tideway clubs) by 5 seconds by Agecroft Rowing Club who finished 11th after starting 37th.
In the same year the first VIII reached the quarter finals of the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta further emulating the club's successes at the 2007 regatta.
In 2007 Grosvenor's Coxless Four (IV-) which reached the semi-finals at Henley Royal Regatta in the Wyfold Challenge Cup. They beat London RC 'D', Reading RC and Sydney RC then being knocked out by the eventual winners 1829 Boat Club, who went on to beat London RC 'A'.