Strangely enough, the first house I lived in as a child was on the River Witham (well not actually on the river - by the side of it) next to Mattie Upsall's Boat Hire.

As BWM says - rowing on the river was a very popular pastime for working class folk. And the Witham at Boston up to Anton's Gowt and Chapel Hill were popular destinations for a day out for people from the big cities of Nottingham and Leicester.

Fishing of course was the big thing, but rowing also was very popular. i believe Mattie went out of business. Canoes that people carried on top of their cars became the thing. You still see alot of that at Matlock Bath - the River Derwent and the beautiful Carsington reservoir. Now of couse the cities are well served - the Trent has been cleaned up a lot. And there is Holme Pierrepoint and Roth Valley Leisure Park the more serious minded atheletes.