London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay :
Friday 27 July 2012

On Friday, 27 July the Olympic Torch took to the River Thames to conclude it 8000 mile journey around the UK. At Hampton Court Palace it was taken aboard Gloriana The Queen’s Row Barge by four-times Olympic rowing gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent who went forward and lit the Olympic Cauldron on Gloriana’s bow before disembarking . He said, "It's a very special summer and for the Gloriana to be part of the Jubilee and then this, is great."

The £1m royal barge, which was central to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June was rowed used 16 oars which were handled by a squad of 28 on-board rowers made up of former British Olympic rowing crews going back to the 1948 Games, including Olympic gold medal winners James Cracknell and Jonny Searle and from 1948 Mike Lapage and Paul Bircher. Also rowing were two future ‘Olympians’ from London Youth Rowing.

Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana Olympians Squad For
The Olympic Torch Relay Day 70

Name	Games Attended
Louis Attrill	2000 Sydney
Chris Baillieu	1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow
Bill Barry	1964 Toyko
Guin Batten	1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney
Paul Bircher	1948 London
Catherine Bishop	1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Ed Coode	2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
James Cracknell	1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Tim Crooks	1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal
Martin Cross	1980 Moscow, 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul 1992 Barcelona
Simon Dennis	2000 Sydney
Rowley Douglas	2000 Sydney
Adrian Ellison	1984 Los Angeles, 1992 Barcelona
Luka Grubar	2000 Sydney
Mike Hart	1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal
Garry Herbert	1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta
Ben Hunt Davis	1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney
Mike Lapage	1948 London
Andrew Lindsay	2000 Sydney
Gillian Lindsay	1992 Barcelona, 2000 Sydney
Alison Mowbray	2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Fred Scarlet	2000 Sydney
Jonny Searle	1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta
Elise Sherwell	2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing
Richard Stanhope	1980 Moscow, 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Beijing 1992 Barcelona
Steve Trapmore	2000 Sydney
Kieran West	2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Steve Williams	2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing
Sarah Winckless	2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Athens
Jordan Cole-Hossain	London Youth Rowing
Oladimeji Ogunyoye	London Youth Rowing

The Olympic Flotilla was divided into three sections. The first from Hampton Court Palace to Richmond Lock Foot Bridge (7.5 miles) saw Gloriana escorted by over 40 skiffs, Shallops and cutters. Below Twickenham Road Bridge the escort held water and gave “Three Cheers!” to the Olympic Flame.

The second section featured 3 VIII’s (Octo’s) and 10 IV’s from London Youth Rowing which took over the escort from Kew Rail Bridge to Putney Bridge (5.2 miles). They were lined up on either side of the river in ‘Head Race’ style - line astern, bow up stream holding water - awaiting the arrival of Gloriana.

The third section, which took over from Chelsea Harbour and consisted of 15 Watermen’s cutters from the City Livery Companies, escorted Gloriana and the Olympic flame for the remainder of the journey to the Olympic Rings Barge moored opposite City Hall close to Tower Bridge. The flotilla arrived a little ahead of time as Gloriana turned and moored alongside the Rings barge with her oars to vertical as she came alongside. The escort of Watermen’s cutters held position on the other side of the Rings Barge.

At 08:12 BST James Cracknell and Thames Alive’s Peter Warwick rang the on-board bell for three minutes as part of the national celebration for the London 2012 Festival, when bells rang out across the country to mark the opening of the Games.

Soon afterwards the first of the seven young torchbearers, Akosua Scantlebury, 25, carried the torch, lit from the cauldron, past Richmond Riverside. Next was junior rower Anastasia Chitty, 18, who carried it through Chiswick, followed by Nathalie Murphy, 25, who makes fundraising films who took the flame at Putney, football coach Terry Bobie Agyekum, 20, whose turn came at Battersea Park, weightlifter Jimmy Hazard, 19, who took it past the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye and Yusuf Jimacale, 21, who works with a community football programme and carried his torch under Millennium Bridge.

The final torchbearer of the morning's relay was 22-year-old basketball player Amber Charles, who played a key role in London's winning bid. She stepped onto the Olympic Rings Barge and paraded the torch to the thousands who had gathered on both banks of the river and Tower Bridge to see this unique spectacle as the fame completed the last leg of its hugely successful 70 day tour.

As Thames Alive director said afterwards, “The master plan worked, which is wonderful - the torchbearers, the crews and the crowds all played their part. It's a great way to bring the flame into central London, using the highway of London."

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, David Beckham OBE and Chairman of London 2012 Lord Coe welcomed the final Olympic Flame torchbearer Amber Charles to the Mayor’s Host City Reception at London House. Present were the Olympians who had rowed Gloriana for its five hour journey from Hampton Court Palace.