Swan Upping – It’s Just another Henley Thing!
It’s that time of the year for the wonderful tradition that is Swan Upping when The King’s Swan Marker and The Royal Swan Uppers, all dressed in scarlet rowing skiffs, for the annual swan census come through Henley-on-Thames.
We cannot stay away for the river for long in Henley. Henley Royal Regatta kicks things off, followed by Henley Festival and then all the fun of the Thames Traditional Boat Festival this weekend just gone, to now be treated by the spectacle of Swan Upping.
Pop down to one of the observation points on Weds 19th July, it really is quite a spectacle and special to see.
The observation points for Wednesday’s Swan Upping and times are as follows:
Marlow Bridge 09.00 – Departure point
Hurley Lock 10.30
Hambleden Lock 12.00
Henley Town 13.15 (by Henley Bridge at Leander)
Marsh Lock 15.30
Shiplake Lock 17.00
Sonning Bridge 18.00
The annual census of the swan population on a particular stretch of the River Thames, Swan Upping has changed from a mostly ceremonial event to an important element of wildlife conservation.
A flotilla of traditional Thames rowing skiffs, manned by Swan Uppers in scarlet rowing shirts and headed by The King’s Swan Marker, wearing a hat with a white swan’s feather, row their way steadily up the Thames. ‘All up!’ they cry as a family of swans and cygnets is spotted, and the Swan Uppers carefully position their boats around the swans, lift them from the water and check their health. The Swan Marker’s iconic five-day journey upriver has been an annual ceremony for hundreds of years, and today it has two clear goals; conservation and education.
Here is a wonderful account of Swan Upping in 2021 by John Tippetts https://www.mythames.co.uk/swanupping
Images: John Tippetts
