Scale: 1:12. A contemporary full hull model of a Thames racing skiff (1890), built plank on frame and mounted on a pair of wooden setting horses. At this scale, the model represents a boat measuring 26 feet in length and is complete with a set of iron outriggers rigged with open swivelling rowlocks, through which the wooden sculls were operated. The main body of the hull was normally a cedar skin pinned and glued on ash frames, with the forward and aft deck covered with varnished silk fabric. The fine shape and combination of these materials produced a fast, lightweight and watertight boat.

Also known as a single scull, the rower would sit on the sliding seat with their feet laced into a pair of wooden shoes attached to the stretcher. These boats were raced on the upper reaches of the Thames, in particular at the Henley Regatta, as well as further downstream below the Pool of London. Thought to be the oldest annual sporting event in continuous existence in the world, the Doggett’s Coat and Badge race was conceived in 1715 by the famous Irish actor, Thomas Doggett. The racers were known as wagermen who were newly qualified watermen, and the course ran between London Bridge and Chelsea, a distance of four miles and five furlongs (7.5 km). The Doggett’s Coat and Badge race is still run annually in July with the winner receiving the red waterman’s coat and silver arm badge, both of which are based on the early 18th-century waterman’s costume.