The Boathouse: A Haven of Heritage and Heart – The Boathouse Book
Pre-order your book HERE to avoid missing out – limited print run!
Launch May 2027
To celebrate 40 years since The Boathouse Society was formed, our Boathouse book team (Lucy Rainey, Alec Woods, Sarah Ryder and publisher Karen Price) is producing a book that tells the story of this much-loved waterfront building.
The Boathouse, on Wakefield Quay in Nelson, was purpose-built in 1906 for the Nelson Rowing Club. Designed by Nelson architect William Houlker, the building has played an important role in the city’s community life for over a century, serving at various times as a rowing club house, scout hall, dance venue and community hub.
The book explores both the Boathouse’s early history and its more recent story, when a small group of friends purchased a derelict building in the 1980s and transformed it into a thriving community facility.
The book includes information distilled from forty interviews, answers to member questionnaires, historic documents and photographs from members and staff. It traces the Boathouse’s journey through periods of growth, survival and revival, and highlights many of the people who have helped to shape it along the way.