Extant archive of the Agrecroft Rowing Club, a leading amateur rowing club in the Manchester area.
The information which can be found in the papers is very varied indeed. As one would expect from a rowing club, there is much information on the development of the sport, particularly in the log books, rowing notes book and correspondence files; rowing styles, techniques and boat design are all commented upon. The polluted state of the River Irwell and the building development along its banks also feature quite strongly in the Club's records. The collection is surprisingly rich in photographs, not just of the Club members and of rowing activities on the Irwell, but also of the social aspects of the Club. The regatta and various boating holidays Club members undertook, most notably along the River Wye and River Dee, feature strongly, along with detailed written accounts. Members' lives outside the Club also feature in the records, particularly their war service.
The papers of the Agecroft Rowing Club are rich and engaging in their variety: through them can be charted the development of the sport of rowing, but more colourful perhaps is the picture they paint of those who "liked messing about in boats".