Members of the Molesey Boat Club gathered at the Prince of Wales pub where the club was initially founded to mark the 150th anniversary of the club’s conception.

Rowers met on Tuesday to commemorate the historic day when the club was founded on April 24, 1866, by a group of men who had wanted to join Kingston’s rowing club, but were rejected because they were not members of the aristocracy.

Patrice Bevan, a member at the club, said: “They founded it on principle and that message of defiance speaks through our members from the juniors up to the Olympians.”

The club very quickly gained notability for sending out successful crews, and has since become one of the UK’s premier clubs, with four members rowing for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.

For more information on the club, visit moleseyboatclub.co.uk.