Excellent use has been made of interactive exhibits wqhich help visitors to appreciate the techniques of rowing and the history of Henley. The museum has been designed by award-winning architect, David Chipperfield. Its structure combines the influence of the traditional local architecture of boat houses and Oxfordshire's wooden barns with a strong modernistic approach. It is dominated by the striking oak-clad upper walls and a turned steel roof. Once inside the light and airy building, the scene is set in an introductory exhibition where all ages have the opportunity to experience what it's like to climb into a competitive rowing boat.
Youngsters also love the soft play area which has a waterside flavour.
My first stop was the Thames Gallery which looks at the river as an inspiration for the arts, as a natural habitat and as a source of pleasure and a means of trade. The exhibits include the boat in which Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pincent won Britain's only gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics as well as the world's oldest-known competitive rowing boat. The gallery also looks at rowing in terms of trade - lifeboats, Venetian gondolas and Thames wherries. Visitors are encouraged to try their hand at rowing in a Greek trireme, or find out how difficult it is to row in unison as a crew. Although I am not a dedicated follower of rowing I found it difficult to tear myself away from the excellently presented exhibits.