THE UNION ROWING CLUB.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5782, 28 January 1897, Page 1

THE UNION ROWING CLUB.

NEW BOATHOUSE AftD BOATS. The structure with which the Union Rowing Club has replaced the boathouse burned down in June last is, beyond a doubt, not only the best building qi the kind in New Zealand, but also one of the best in Australasia. The architect, Mr R. W. England, jun., who, by the way, designed the former boathouse, has studied with the utmost care all the requirements of the club, and has availed himself of the experience of its members and others in regard to tlie arrangements of such structures here and elsewhere. He has designed a substantial building which both for convenience and appearance is, as has been said, unsurpassed in the colony. It occupies the site of the former boathouse and has a total length of about 131 ft, • with a frontage of 32ft and a height of 3oft. The front is exceedingly .effective, simple and yet artistic. Its principal feature is the recessed balcony, surmounted by a coned gable, and enclosed with a railing of peculiar^ but strikingly effective design. Beneath the balcony are two double sliding doors, each Bft wide, giving admission to the boathouse proper. On the left hand side of the front a tower of open timber - work rises to a height of forty - one feet and is surmounted by a flagstaff. The building, which is of wood, on a concrete foundation, and has a roof, of corrugated iron, is painted in a decidedly artistic scheme of colour, the shades used being a warm stone tint, relieved by dark red and chocolate. Here a word of praise may well be given to the contractor ior erection, '. Mr J. Greig, who has done his work in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. The total cost of the building to the club, it may be mentioned, is a little over jfiSOO. The arrangements throughout are, as has been noted, admirable. The boathouse itself is 90ft long, 32feet in width, and 12ft 9in in height. A row of posts supporting the . floor of the social room runs down the '. centre, and the internal fittings are of the '. most complete character. At the western . end is the dressing-room, 32ft by 20ft, with '. match-lining of oiled rimu, and amply '. provided with seats, hat hooks and lockers '. for the members' belongings. Behind this '. room are the lavatories and a large showerbath, with concrete floor and zinc-lined . walls. ' Two staircases, each four feet in width, '. afford access to the upper floor ; one leads from the left-hand side of the boathouse, ! close to the front entrance, to the social . hall and balcony. The other ascends from '. the dressing-room to a reading and supper- ' room. The social hall, the principal apartment on the upper floor, is 60ft in length . and 32ft wide ; its walls are lift in height, '. but as the roof is an open one the room is : in reality exceedingly airy and lofty. The '. roof principals are of iron, and the light- , ness which the use of that material enables to be imparted to tliem greatly enhances i the appearance of the hall. The interior ' boardingof the roof is of varnished rimu, and < the iron principals and tie-rods are painted ! dark blue. The walls are plastered and dis- '. tempered, and a dado of varnished rimu . runs round the apartment. The floor is ' specially constructed so as to be suitable '. for dancing. The windows are provided '. with curtains hung on rods of burnished '. brass. Six gas pendants in blue and gold, i with very artistic globes of coloured glass, '. will be used for lighting. The apartment which is ordinarily to be used as a reading- '. rooni, and on festive occasions as a supper '. room is at the western end of the social '. hall, and is 32ft by 20ft. Its decoration is uniform in style with that of the social hall. A passage 20ft in length, and ; "closed by glass folding doors, leads from the social hall to the balcony. On one side of the passage is a committeeroom, 131fc square, and on the other a ladies' cloak-room 20ft long by 13ft . in width. Both these have plastered walls and dadoes of varnished rimu, and are provided with every requisite. The ladies' room is very comfortably furnished. The lighting and ventilation of the building have been very satisfactorily managed. There are a large number of windows on both floors, and the social hall and dress-ing-room are fitted with Boyle's ventilators. The furnishing of the rooms has received due attention. Besides the requisite tables, Austrian chairs and other articles of furniture, a grand pianoforte, of very good tone, has been provided.' The floors of the ladies' and committee-rooms have been covered with linoleum. l The club has, it should be mentioned, j acquired the strip of land on the south side of its boathouse, formerly occupied by the Avon Rowing Club, and it is intended to lay this out as a lawn tennis and croquet ground. The new fleet of the club consists at present of sixteen boats, most of them of local make, having been built by Mr E. D. Rees,. whose work has given entire satisfaction to the members. Ho has built for the club nine stump outrigger pleasure boats, of the Oxford style, constructed of kauri, with gunwales and seats of mahoggany, and ribs of Australian blackwood and rata. Each of these boats is 22ft 6in long and of 3ft 4in beam, and is fitted with ingenious swivel rowlocks designed by Mr Rees, and constructed so as to lock the oars and prevent them from slipping out. Mv Rees has also made two family inrigged pleasure boats, of 22ft 6in in length and 4ft beam, of kauri and . mahogany, and two "semi-racing" stump outriggers, built of clear pine and I mahogany. The latter can be used either , as pairs or double sculls, and are suitable | both for races and for practice. The seats * havo roller slides, like those of ordinary racing boats. The workmanship, finish and strength of the boats built by Mr liees have excited general admiration. The Club has obtained two Association fours of cedar, ancl a racing stump of clear pine and cedar, from Mr George Norton, of Wellington. A racing four, with all the latest improvements, by Gasper, is expected to arrive in a few days, and efforts aro being i made to purchase a coxswainless pah* and ;• double-sculling outi*igger.