Down by the Isis

Here in Oxford it is Summer Eights Week, leading up to the final races on Saturday afternoon.

Last week the Special Correspondent sent me a very interesting piece on the history of the boat houses and their predecessors the College barges on the Thames - or Isis. It can be seen at https://heartheboatsing.com/2013/04/22/oxford-beer-boathouses-and-barges/ and in particular in respect of the barges gives an insightful account of what was once a distinctive feature of the river.

 

Sir Osbert Lancaster's  depiction of a college barge on a race day for an edition of Sir Max Beerbohm's Zuleika Dobson

Image.pbfa.org