Putney is an affluent area in the London Borough of Wandsworth, known as the launching site for the annual university Boat Race since 1845 — a spectacle that draws crowds to Putney’s lively riverside pubs, and a competition between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The bustling High Street is dotted with bars and casual eateries, and then there is the expansive Putney Heath, featuring a vast wonderland of woodland and open grass crisscrossed with pathways, making it a favoured spot for picnics and the house of a cricket ground. Historically, Putney was the home to diverse activities such as horse racing, bowling, and hunting. But still, its most prominent claim to fame lies in being an important hub for rowing.