The Tudor Pull celebrates the use of the River Thames from time immemorial as a means of transportation. An early start to get to Hampton Court in time to robe and then process with our Beadle, the Thames Warden, the Master of the Watermen’s Company and Her Majesty’s Barge Master, accompanied by 8 Royal Oarsmen from the Queen’s Royal Barge ‘Gloriana’, to the front of Hampton Court Palace. The gates of the Palace then open and the ‘Stela’ is brought out accompanied by pipe and drum the Head Warder and an actor dressed as Henry VIII, to whom I then present the ‘Stela’. After taking wine with the Head Warder, we all process to QRB ‘Gloriana’ which then sets off to Richmond where we stop for lunch. At this point the Thames Warden joins our Cutter “The Water-forget-me-not” which, under the control of our bargemaster Jonny Dwan and rowed by our fantastic crew of ladies, follows the ‘Gloriana’ to the Tower of London. Once there the Royal Barge Master presents the ‘Stela’ to the Governor of the Tower of London.
What an amazing day, the weather kept fine for us, the wine and ‘bubbly’ flowed and the company was great. This year we were filmed by 2 crews. The actor Tony Robinson was filming a programme “Walking the Thames” for Channel 4 and recorded the proceedings from Hampton Court to Richmond. There was also to usual film crew organised by the Thames Traditional Rowing Association. An unforgettable occasion
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