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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Leander
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(Henley-on-Thames)
Britain's oldest and most prestigious rowing club. Both the club and the name are said to derive from a day in 1818 when a group of young men hired a boat called Leander from Searle's boathouse, near Westminster Bridge, to go rowing on the Thames; they liked the boat so much that they formed a club for its continued use. By mid-century *Henley, rather than the London reach of the Thames, had become the main location for competitive regattas; Leander moved its headquarters there, to a newly built clubhouse, in 1897. The club's eight won for Britain in the Olympics of 1908 and 1912.
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