Putney Putney from 1867 to 1961. The Putney clubs have produced a plethora of Olympic medallists and Henley winners. Putney Town Rowing Club, although retaining Putney's name, has now moved to Kew. The University Boat Race, first contested in 1829 in Henley-on-Thames, has had Putney as its starting point since 1845. Since 1856, it has been an annual event, beginning at the University Stone, just upstream from Putney Bridge. Several other important rowing races over the Championship Course also either start or finish at the stone, notably the Head of the River Race. Alan Thornhill lived and worked in Putney for
The Boat Race 2019 (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the Championship Course, between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in south-west London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Cambridge will go into the race as champions, having won the 2018 race by a margin of three lengths, and leading overall with 83 victories to Oxford's 80 (excluding the 1877 race, officially a dead heat