Sailing on the pond on Sunday mornings

REGULARLY ON SUNDAY mornings, you will see a group of people standing at the northern edge of Kensington Gardens’ so-called Round Pond. It is not truly round, but squarish with rounded corners. This group of men and women will be seen standing close to trolleys on which there might be large model sailing boats. Often, the boats, which are radio-controlled, will be sailing in the pond’s water. These model boat enthusiasts are members of the London Model Yacht Club, which was founded in London in 1876.

Prior to 1876, there were other model boating clubs in London. In the 1820s, a group of model boat enthusiasts used to sail their craft in a pond in Green Park. This pond exists no more. In 1834, when the pond was made inaccessible by railings, the boaters moved to the Serpentine in Hyde Park. The first formal London Model Yacht Club was founded in 1846. Following disagreements, this club was disbanded in 1871. In 1876, the Model Yacht Sailing Association was established. It and another club, the London Model Yacht Club (Est. 1884) have been sailing on the Round Pond since the late 1880s. Before that, they had been using a pond in Hackney. For those interested in the detailed history of model boat sailing in London, please visit  www.lmyc.org.uk/history.

Next time you are in London at around 10.30 am on a Sunday morning, visit the Round Pond to watch the model boats ashore and on the water.