A Shove Ha'penny With Brass Lifters

The Brass Lifters on this old Shove Ha'penny Board are located snugly in the grooves which separate the nine beds of the playing surface. Hinged on the left-hand side, and protruding a little on the right so they can be easily lifted during play. Lifters like these are not actually necessary for the game, so what are they there for?The rules of Shove Ha'penny are simplicity itself. The only possibility for uncertainty and disagreement is in the lay...

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Smiths Arms, Kempston, Bedfordshire

This fine old Skittles Table resides in the dedicated games area of the Smiths Arms, one of several venues in Kempston which still field teams in one or other of the local skittles leagues. A Pool Table and a soon to return Darts Board are also available at this friendly and welcoming back-street corner local.The licensee is new to the pub, and looking to spruce things up a little, but coming as he does from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, he...

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New Inn, Willersey, Gloucestershire

The Cotswolds as an area encompasses several diverse counties, and an equally varied selection of traditional pub games. Aunt Sally is still thriving in Oxfordshire, Indoor Quoits may still be found in Worcestershire, and Skittles holds sway throughout the area, but particularly in Gloucestershire.It's good to see that quite a few of the more traditional and relatively unspoilt pubs in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds still have fully functioning Skittle...

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The Queens, Beeston, Nottinghamshire

The Nottinghamshire town of Beeston is one of those destinations where it's all too easy to stick to the usual suspects when it comes to choosing a pub. By 'usual suspects' I mean one of several speciality beer pubs in the town, at least one of which is widely regarded as one of the very best in the country.Sometimes though, it's good to ring the changes and go a little off the beaten track. Perhaps visit pubs which are attractive destinations...

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Compendium of Pub Games - Pt.10

This Northamptonshire Skittles Table takes pride of place in the bar of the Royal Oak in the village of Naseby, Northamptonshire. Cribbage and Darts are also played at the pub, which has a good reputation for its beer. When you get bored with the fried food & ice cream of Matlock Bath, pop in for a pint at Ashover Brewery pub the Princess Victoria. Real ales are the speciality of this traditionally styled pub, but there's also a splendid hop...

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Some More Cribbage Boards

The Cribbage Board collection I'm definitely not collecting continues to grow! In my defence they do mostly all get used, and like the small collection of Shove Ha'penny Boards which I'm also not collecting, it' nice to have a choice to hand.I found this old Bakelite and Brass Cribbage Board at a car boot sale recently. It cost little more than the price of a pint. Tarnished and stained from many years of neglect, I felt it was worth rescuing and...

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Half Moon, Kempston, Bedfordshire

Table Skittles, of the type most commonly played in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, is a game which can also be found to a lesser extent in some of the surrounding counties. The northern half of Bedfordshire is one such area, though here as elsewhere the game has declined significantly in more recent years, such that it may well have disappeared entirely from the pubs of Bedford town itself. You'll need to venture out to the suburbs and surrounding...

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Blue Bell, Belmesthorpe, Rutland

It's been a long time since village pubs could rely for their success on beer sales and local drinkers alone. A quality dining experience is all but essential these days particularly if rural pubs want to attract visitors from outside the immediate area. But sadly for those of us who like a pub to be just that, drinkers can sometimes be effectively excluded from a pub in favour of the all pervasive dining experience.It's often argued that when a...

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The Railway, Kibworth, Leicestershire

The Leicestershire village of Kibworth gives its name to one of several Table Skittles Leagues which are still contested in the area, though sadly none of the pubs in Kibworth actually field a team in the league. The Kibworth & District Skittles League is made up of pubs and clubs stretching from it's current heartland of Market Harborough, through to Wigston on the outskirts of Leicester. Kibworth itself is still represented in the league by...

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