The debutantes and society balls aspect of ‘the season’ some time ago. The sporting events – Royal Ascot , Wimbledon , the Henley Royal Regatta , and Glorious Goodwood among them - which gave it structure still continue, however, and one of the most significant is Cowes Week in August, a yachting regatta centred on Cowes on the Isle of Wight . Cowes puts the full stop to the summer social calendar of activities in London and the South, as after its fireworks finale the wealthy head for Scotland and the North to slaughter red grouse on the Glorious Twelfth .
It was in 1826 that the first Cowes Week took place, George IV having given yachting the royal seal of approval since his days as Prince Regent, and The Royal Yacht Club (which evolved into The Royal Yacht Squadron) oversaw the races and provided the prizes. In those days the boats raced were all of a considerable size, with skipper and crew to obviate the need for tedious hard work by the owners.
Perhaps it is a sign of more demotic times that over the decades, particularly since WWII , classes for far smaller craft have been added to the list of races, which now sees more than 30 starts a day over the week. It is certainly a sign of social change that sponsorship by industrial and financial concerns has become vital to Cowes; and perhaps also that where public inebriation during such gatherings was once social death it is now all too frequently reported on.
Cowes remained a rather private affair until the 1970s, with the small town providing a discreet setting for parties, and the races on the Solent all but out of sight of the rest of the world. Edward Heath ’s participation (and successful participation at that) in the Admiral’s Cup in that decade brought the event to public attention.
If the marrying-off aspect of the season has largely gone, the networking continues, and again it says much of the modern world that Cowes is now far more international – those at the top of our national power-pyramid building ties with their counterparts in New York (whose own yacht club presented one of the major trophies in 1951) and similar centres.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
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