Thames En Fête

A mermaid, a fat man in a barrel and water-bound jockeys all appear in this brilliant short showing Londoners taking part in the Molesey Regatta.

There’s plenty to enjoy here, as London celebrates the Molesey Regatta with a host of weird events. Filmed for posterity is a race featuring men in riding silks “swimming” aboard semi-submerged hobby horses, and a ridiculous group of clowns– including a very large gentleman in a top hat – sitting in barrels and rowing frantically in circles with a single paddle. There’s also a four-year-old mermaid and lots of decorated boats.