Henley's name is synonymous with the Royal Regatta and the river and has a wide variety of shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants. Today it is a as lively as in its Edwardian heyday. From two days the event has stretched to five and since the 1970s it has led to the annual Traditional Boat Rally which encourages owners of traditional craft to restore and display their craft. Skiffs, punts, gigs and launches can be seen alongside larger river and coastal cruisers.
The first boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities took place on Henley Reach in 1829. Ten years later at a public meeting it was decided to hold an annual regatta at Henley. In 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, it had been accorded the title ‘Royal‘ and Prince Albert became its first Royal Patron.
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