FIVE decades of wining and dining at the Cherwell Boathouse have featured many successful marriage proposals over the years.
Owner Johnny Verdin and his team of staff in Bardwell Road, north Oxford, are celebrating the restaurant and punt station’s 50th anniversary tomorrow.
Mr Verdin, 53, has been running the family business for the past 20 years after taking over from his father Anthony Verdin, who decided to buy the premises in 1968 after becoming familiar with it as a chemistry student at Merton College.
Mr Verdin said: “Dad saw the potential to turn the cafe at the punt station into a restaurant.
“He was so determined to buy it that he camped out in a field for a week - there were some colleges who were interested but he beat them to it.”
READ AGAIN: Chemist and wine expert created a city institution
The restaurateur attributes the business’s longevity and success to its riverside location and the special combination of dining out and punting.
He added: “It’s also a very romantic place - we get lots of marriage proposals here and because it’s a lovely location they always seem to go well.
“The staff get asked to hide the wedding ring in the dessert - then there’s a round of applause from other people in the restaurant if they get to hear about it.”
Mr Verdin lives nearby with his partner Zöe, son Jake 18, and daughters Zara and Kiera, aged 11 and 10.
He added: “I would like to think Cherwell Boathouse will continue as a family business for another 50 years.
“We serve great food at a reasonable price and we have a fantastic wine list.
READ MORE: Lib Dem leader calls for more affordable housing in Oxford
“There is always competition out there so you have to be on your game 24/7 and move with the times.
“We are so lucky to have such an attractive venue - I like to think Cherwell Boathouse is unique.”
Mr Verdin praised his team of about 20 staff, including restaurant manager Brice Guibert who has worked there for 10 years, and punt manager Roger Forster, who has been with the team for 25 years.
READ MORE: Weather warning - half a month's rainfall possible in two hours
The owner added: “It’s not the precise date for the anniversary but we wanted to celebrate it now.
“The restaurant will be open as normal and we would love it if long-standing customers come along and help us celebrate.”
There will be a performance from Opera Anywhere musicians from 3pm.
The origins of the boathouse date back to the beginning of the last century.
In 1904 Thomas Tims, the University Waterman, built the Cherwell Boathouse and a substantial residential house just behind it where he planned to live with his family.
He died in 1908 before the family moved into the house but the boathouse continued to be known for many years as Tims’ Boathouse.
In 1963, his grandsons Tom Tims Walker and Harry Walker, aged 79 and 73 respectively, decided that the time had come to retire and sell both businesses.
The Cherwell Boathouse, on a 21-year lease from St John’s College, was sold to Commander Perowne, who continued to run it as a going concern, and in November 1968 he sold it to Anthony Verdin, who died in 2014, aged 81.
For bookings and other information visit the website cherwellboathouse.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here