By Community Correspondent Nathan Holt

Kingston continues to change with the times, increasingly dominated by high street chains that threaten to rob it of its historic identity and heritage. As a once thriving market town at an important crossing point on the Thames, Kingston has a rich history of pursuits and pastimes that are still fortunately being kept alive and thriving.

Kingston’s riverside apartment developments have fortunately not affected this stretch of the Thames’ reputation for week end leisure and sport. Kingston’s symbolic white stone bridge has continued to preside since 1822 on a river that is not only bustling with aquatic wildlife but also in constant use by recreational river adventurers and lazy weekend cruisers, even playing host to some serious sporting occasions in a thrilling racing tradition.

Kingston’s almost always pan flat water is perfect for rowers, and consequently a lively and exciting boat club has grown up on this part of the River Thames over the past hundred years. Kingston riverside is proud to be home to an extremely successful rowing club, previous rowing greats who have honed their skills at the club include Rebecca Romero, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics before moving to cycling due to a back injury, and Kieran West, who won a gold in Sydney in 2000.

And next weekend, Kingston Rowing Club is to show its worth as a top rowing club by holding the Kingston Head of the River, a prestigious and highly subscribed set of races. Consisting of the larger boats, eights, quadruples and fours, the race was won last year by Oxford Brookes University over Eton College, and this year the competition is expected to be just as fierce.

As well as top rowing clubs and prestigious colleges and universities, Kingston Head of the River will give amateur rowers, from local schools and smaller clubs, the opportunity to race on their home stretch, often for the first time. Matt Edmunds, part of the Tiffin School U16 Eight, is relishing the prospect of winning on home turf, ‘I actually can’t wait for Saturday! My crew has been training really hard over the winter and next weekend will be fantastic as we row up and down this stretch almost every day.’

So if you long for a Kingston of the past, head down to Kingston’s riverside next Saturday, and enjoy the finest rowing on the finest part of the River Thames.