South Bank Sailing Club       

The Towpath, Embankment, Putney, London SW15 1LB    Tel: 020 8788 9786

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A brief history of SBSC 

In 1952 a group of like minded employees of the London County Council got together and formed a sailing club, they affiliated to the Greenwich Yacht club and to the Aquarius S.C. at Hampton. They soon acquired their own sailing dinghies suitable for use on non tidal waters and sailed with and against the two clubs.

1956. There was significant arm twisting within the system to acquire land adjacent to the new Schools Rowing Centre at Barn Elms on the Putney reach of the Thames.

South Bank Sailing Club was established at Barn Elms. The club, very much a DIY one, built a wooden clubhouse on the site which was subjected to continuous improvement (e.g. supply of water and electricity) they did not miss a trick. However, the move required a different type of boat and one of the newly developed ‘Enterprise’ was bought.

1972. A very thriving club lost its clubhouse by fire, set by arsonists. They lost all their boats, the safety boat and a number of member’s boats.

It took some three years but finally the Council agreed to replace the clubhouse under an insurance agreement and in 1977 the present building was handed over.

By now the Club was a constituent club within the LCC/GLC sports club and membership was predominantly of council employees. With the demise of the GLC/ILEA, membership was opened up to non-employees of the Council and they now comprise the majority.

Throughout its life the Club has sought to promote sailing, cruising and racing and each year it has undertaken a programme of training. It is no surprise that the Club is over fifty years old; sailing on Putney Reach has its own peculiarities and long sustains interest. There has always been a strong family element in the membership.