Another Olympic Site

Wednesday, 28 September 2011 08:28

You wouldn't know it, but we are just by another of the Olympic facilities. We decided to stay where we were yesterday, so a walk was called for.

St Mary's Church

Just along the (closed) towpath is St Mary's Church, but in order to get to it from where we are moored, you have to take the unofficial dog-walkers diversion around the fence. There is a notice explaining what it's all about.... 

St Mary's Church used to serve the bargees and other river men when there was a busy wharf close by for transporting timber from the Windsor Forest, but it was declared redundant in 1975.

Thankfully, the "Friends of Friendless Churches" took it on in 1983 and lovingly looks after it. The church of St Mary Magdalene, Boveney, to give it its proper title, stands on a site which has been a place of worship since before the Norman conquest; the earliest known reference to it was made in 1266. It is especially well known for the use of galletting - the decorative application of slivers of flint onto the chalk rubble, with dressings of sandy limestone and chinch. You can usually walk past the church, along the Towpath, but not for the next year or so.

The reason for the Changes

During the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Eton Dorney will provide the setting for the Olympic and Paralympic Rowing and Olympic Canoe Sprint events.

To enable spectators to reach the Olympic events from the transport hub at Windosr Racecourse, the Olympic Delivery Authority is constructing a fully accessible temporary spectator bridge crossing over the Thames.There will also be a Games-time security fence.

In order to construct the bridge safely it is necessary to divert a section of the Thames Tow Path around the northern edge of the venue from 5 September 2011 until November 2012. The bridge will then be removed "and the area returned to its former condition."

In the meanwhile, Eton College uses this world-class venue for rowing, kayaking and even dragon-boat racing. On a day like yesterday, the 2200m Dorney Lake is a stunning place.

The 8-lanes are each 13.5 metres wide and a minimum of 3.5 metres deep. 

On the Thames-side of the main lake, there is a parallel Return/Warm-Up Channel which is up to 5 lanes wide and 2.5 metres deep.

It may appear to be weed-free, but that's because there is a dedicated weed-cutter which then dumps its cargo along the bank. If only all BW's canals could be cared for like this!

There are more pictures in our Interesting Places/Eton Dorney Lake gallery