Historical Photos of the Club

Barnt Green Sailing Club was formally established in 1918 by a group of local residents with a passion for sailing. This gallery includes a number of photographs that have been taken over the years of the club, its members and their boats.

The 1930s

The Coming of Age Regatta held on June 11th 1939 when the club was a sprightly 21 years old.

J Hill sailing N9 at the Club Regatta 1939

The 1940s

The 1950s

Fireflies in 1956

Cadet "Tadpole" in 1958

Fireflies on the foreshore

Fireflies rounding the mark

Fireflies on the start line in 1959

Firefly Open 1959

Low water in 1959

Cadets with new life jackets

The 1960s

The period between December 1962 and March 1963 was one of the coldest on record in the UK. The average daily temperature in January 1963 was a mere -2.1C and the sea froze in Kent to a distance of 1 mile from shore. Suffice to say that Barnt Green sailors used the opportunity of a significant ice sheet on Upper Bittell to drive cars out onto the frozen water. The main protagonists appear to have been Stan Lennox, Gordon Britton and Norman Cooke, the latter two being towed around on skis behind a Mini driven by Stan.

Richard Murray and April Lennox at the Firefly Open 1969

The 1970s

Kit Lunt and Chris Hodge at the Firefly Open 1970

Junior Helm 1970

Cadet Open 1973

Cadet Open 1974

Visiting Burnham in 1974

The 1990s

Club Members 1993

75th Anniversary Celebrations

The 2000s and later

Frostbite Series 2000

Club Barbeque

The Clubhouse over the Years

The Members' Lawn 1933

The Old Clubhouse

Converting the old boathouse into the new clubhouse

Low Water

Over the years, there have been a number of occasions when water levels have fallen dramatically. Either through deliberate draining to undertake maintenance work or during periods of drought. Here are a few examples.

1934

1959

1976

2001

2017-2018

Last updated 23:17 on 13 May 2024