Construction of Headington School boathouse completed

Headington School's rowing team will benefit from two-storey Maddy Moorings boathouse set on the river Thames, in Long Wittenham, south of Abingdon.

It offers a storage area capable of housing 50 rowing boats, a multi-use training room, and welfare facilities.

The boathouse has been made for Headington School (Image: Stepnell)

Ian Batchelor, contracts manager at Stepnell, who built the boathouse, said: "Maddy Moorings boathouse has been an intricate project to provide modern and sustainable rowing facilities.

"The build is equally world-class in specification, but also built with methods and materials of construction that were not disruptive to the local biodiversity during the build, nor will be in the long-term to the ecosystem along the river.

“With the school being one of the UK’s top educational institutions for rowing, we are proud to have used our leisure expertise to deliver sporting infrastructure that will contribute significant lasting value to the schools’ future successes.”

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The boathouse, elevated on 60 steel columns, features an indoor communal area with a balcony overseeing the Thames for spectators.

Students and staff can access boats through three double doors leading up to a staircase, designed and made by the firm's joinery team.

Externally, the building has a timber facade, river pontoons which rise and fall, and a wet dock area. 

Partnering with ecologists from the Environment Agency, Stepnell has ensured protection of voles, bats, and nesting birds, with consideration being made to flood risk management.