Tradition

Swan Upping dates from the 15th century, as a means of recording and marking the river's swans.

The ancient ceremony begins in Sunbury in the third week of July. New cygnets between Sunbury and Pangbourne are marked with notches on either side of the beak to distinguish ownership. There are now three owners of the swans, two City Livery Companies: The Vintners and The Dyers and The Monarch, at the time of embroidery Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.

A shallop is a light boat used for rowing in shallow water. The one illustrated was built at Turks Boatyard in Thames Street and shows how the old boat building skills and traditions survived for many years in Sunbury.