A computer lets you pit yourself against Redgrave and Pinsent, along with James Cracknell and Tim Foster, tipped to win at Sydney in the fours, and there is footage of great races from 1996. Meanwhile you can view replicas of the Olympic boats which will be used in the twos and fours and even jump in one. The rowing gallery is festooned with boats, most of them prototypes of their kind or boats that won prestigious races, including the one used by Redgrave and Pinsent in 1996 at Atlanta, and the hefty wooden boat which won the first Oxford and Cambridge race. Exhibits take rowing from its earliest days as a necessity for transport and work, to the modern hi-tech sport it is today, via Venetian gondolas, whaling boats, and the wherries that acted as taxis on the Thames. Entering the Thames gallery you are struck by the peaceful atmosphere of the room, with its meditative music and soft light and rippling reflections across its roof.
Huge windows open out onto the river and the trees that surround the museum.
The last of the permanent exhibitions, in the Henley gallery, tells the story of the town from isolated Roman settlements through to the present day. There is memorabilia from the regatta and a gleaming umpire's launch. The museum has given plenty of thought to presenting its material in an interesting way, not least for children. There are quizzes for them to do with prizes to win, and a shop full of lovely things. It also caters for schoolchildren with a library and educational centre, and programmes for infants to sixth formers linking in with the school curriculum.