Listing application for Chipperfield’s pioneering River & Rowing Museum

This article was first published by Twentieth Century Society.

C20 Society has submitted a listing application for the former River and Rowing Museum in Henley, Oxfordshire (1989-97), as the future of the pioneering David Chipperfield designed building is currently being decided by Trustees of the Museum.

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 1998, the project was in development for nearly a decade and represents a significant point in the history of David Chipperfield Architects. It was their first major UK commission and first significant cultural building – a sector in which they have since developed an international reputation. In his letter of support for the application [read below], Sir David has credited the project with developing themes that became central to their work, such as the exploration of natural light and sensitivity to context, while shaping the practice’s approach to dialogue and advocacy, lessons that directly informed later projects such as their signature Neues Museum in Berlin.

It comes shortly after C20 Society’s listing application for Cobham Mews in Camden, Chipperfield’s first UK building and former studio, resulted in a Grade II designation in August 2025.