The Case Is Altered, Fiveways, Hatton, Warwickshire

The vast majority of pubs in England and Wales are owned by breweries or pub companies, run as either managed or leased businesses with widely varying degrees of autonomy. This makes The Case Is Altered near Warwick something of a rarity. In fact it's that rarest of all pubs, an independent, family owned and run free house. This means it's free from the interference and unreasonable demands of pubcos, free to sell ales from whichever breweries the owners wish, and free to run the pub just the way the owners like it. At The Case this means for the benefit of a regular custom of drinkers who like the pub just the way it is, largely unchanged and unspoilt by unnecessary change.

It's the family owned bit that's particularly important at the Case Is Altered, and what makes pubs like this unique and precious survivors. The current landlady took over the running of the pub from her late grandmother over 30 years ago, and this has resulted in the kind of continuity of ownership which is now unusual in the pub trade.

The constant churn of licensees in practically all areas of the trade, and the resulting endless rounds of refurbishment and reinvention, is one of the key factors behind the loss of so much genuine character in so many pubs. Of course I'm not saying that change in pubs is always bad, but when it's change for the sake of it, and without reference to local feeling or thought for the history and heritage of the pub, we often lose something important and irretrievable in the process.

So it's this continuity of ownership at the Case Is Altered that has helped maintain the pub as a truly unspoilt (if not entirely unchanged) classic. But it's not just the decor that's been preserved and cherished, it's also a hard to define, yet instantly recognisable 'timeless' quality which has endured in the bar. You get the feeling that things are much the same in the quarry tile floored bar as they've always been, give or take a few price rises.

A rare and genuine survivor at the pub is a very fine old Bar Billiards Table, tucked in a corner of the entrance lobby, and showing the deep patina of age and use. Bearing the label of A W Chick Ltd, a Birmingham cue sports manufacturer who seem to have been in production until the early1960's when the business was finally wound up. The timing and ball release mechanism remains unaltered from pre-decimal times, and old sixpences are available to buy from behind the bar for those wanting a game.

As can be seen above, Cribbage is still popular at the pub, with Monday evenings set aside for play, and beginners to the game welcome. I can't imagine a better place for a card game than in front of the open fire at this classic village local.

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Crown & Anchor, Northampton

The eastern side of Northampton town centre, an area broadly known as Abington, has always seemed to me to have an unusually high number of pubs. Perhaps even more unusual is that so many of them are still open and appear to be trading reasonably well.

This area is a classic mix of high density terraced housing and small businesses. Well serviced by restaurants and takeaways, and yet close enough to the town centre to be considered a part of the 'circuit', which all adds up to busier than average pubs I guess. There's a good mix of pubs, including several wet-led and largely traditional 'locals'. The Crown & Anchor, located just off the main Wellingborough road, is one such example, and like many back-street locals, maintains a strong gaming interest.

Indeed the website of the Crown & Anchor suggests that the name of the pub derives from an old dice game of the same name. I don't know how accurate this is, I've certainly seen other suggestions for the origin of this pub name, but the connection is reinforced in this case by a fine example of a Crown & Anchor gaming board which can be found displayed on a wall of the bar (above).

The game of Crown & Anchor is a simple gambling game using three specially marked dice. Believed to have a naval origin, but also a popular pub game at one time, though strictly speaking not a legal one so the game would have been played furtively if at all. Players stake money on one or more of the six symbols, with the payout determined by how many of the three dice come up favourably. Needless to say the odds are stacked firmly in favour of the banker. These days the game is usually found as part of a compendium which includes other dice games such as Poker Dice and Shut The Box.

Games which are still played at the Crown & Anchor include Darts, Pool, and Bar Billiards. The pub currently field two teams in the Northampton Bar Billiards League, and I believe this is the closest pub venue for the game to the town centre.

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A Compendium of Pub Games Images - Pt.18

A modern Bar Billiards Table at the historic Rowell Charter Inn, Rothwell, Northamptonshire.

This wonderfully un-PC guide to the rules of Long Alley Skittles can be found in the basement Alley of the Embankment in Nottingham, as featured on this blog already. Very 70's/80's in appearance, but a good summation of the rules of the game. I wonder who the cartoonist was.

The two off-season Skittle Alleys below are in Belper, Derbyshire. The Astro Turfed Alley on the right is at the Devonshire Arms, the other at the rear of the Nags Head. Both are active in the Belper & District league. Note that even though this is a Summer game, both of these alleys are floodlit to prevent the chance of fading light prematurely ending a league match.

Darts, Dominoes, and Table Skittles are played at the Polhill Arms in Renhold, Bedfordshire. Tuesday is Skittles nights in the Beds & Roberts Skittles League, with Darts played in the Bedford Darts League.

Old tobacco advertising Cribbage Boards used for decorative purposes only at the Wheatsheaf in Oakham, Rutland. Not a venue strong on pub games, though quiz nights are held, and the pub has strong connections with local Cricket.

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The Headland, Northampton

Modern single-story pubs like The Headland, located as they most usually are in the suburban hinterland between rural and urban living, are often well and truly off the radar for all but the most local drinkers. Lacking the genuine heritage of many urban pubs, and with little in their appearance that would sit well on the front of a chocolate box, we generally pass these pubs by, rarely considering what might lie within.

If I'm honest, the purple/blue brickwork and flat roof exterior of The Headland reminds me just a little too much of a 1970's comprehensive school, never a good thing for a person of my age! It's a classic example of the late 20th century trend for robust functionality over the unnecessary expense of the aesthetic. This is probably just the kind of pub the editorial team of the risible Good Pub Guide were referring to recently when they suggested that 4,000 more pubs should close post-haste to make way for more of 'their' kind of pubs.

I wasn't going to let the somewhat utilitarian exterior put me off though, because it's what's inside a pub that matters, and because all too often it's pubs like The Headland which alone continue to offer a truly 'social' drinking experience within their community. In fact it's pubs like The Headland that are the truly 'good' pubs in my opinion, rather than the gastro-exclusivity promoted in guides like the Good Pub Guide.

When I visited The Headland on a midweek lunchtime, the comfortable lounge bar was busy to bursting with local veterans enjoying a regular lunchtime function. This is exactly what I'd expect to find in a pub still firmly rooted at the heart of the community it serves. The lounge bar is the comfortable retreat for dining, drinks and chat, whereas the public bar is principally reserved for that other thing I'd expect to find in a community local like this, the wide range of games and sports which the pub supports.

In common with many Northampton town pubs, the local game of Table Skittles has sadly fallen out of favour with the locals. The table is a very fine one, and it would be a great shame if The Headland went the way of so many town centre pubs and finally consigned the game to a store room or eventually sold the table off. Go to The Headland, have a pint or two, throw a few cheeses while you're there.

 

One of the many pockets of Bar Billiards interest in the country can be found in pubs located in and around Northampton. Around ten teams compete on tables located in half a dozen venues locally, with a Summer league and various cup competitions played for in the Northants Bar Billiards League. Darts and Pool also feature at The Headland, but it's the very active Golf club which is perhaps the pubs main competitive focus.

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A Pair of Pubs in Milton, Cambridgeshire

Waggon & Horses

The village of Milton lies to the North of Cambridge, and seems unusually well served with pubs for its size. The Cambridge area, and Milton in particular, is one of several minor hotbeds of the game of Bar Billiard.

This is perhaps a legacy of the city's large University population, since Bar Billiards (and of course Table Football) were once very popular with students. Indeed a good few of the tables now found in other parts of the country will have originated in Students Union Bars or pubs which were popular with students. The Bar Billiards at the Swan & Rushes in Leicester is an example of a table which had previously been played and serviced in the university town of Oxford.

The Waggon & Horses and White Horse in the village come fully equipped with Bar Billiard tables, and field teams in the two divisions of the Cambridge & District League.

A Devil Amongst The Tailors at the Waggon & Horses is small by pub standards, but of good quality and probably made by Jaques as it resembles their larger 'League Brand' table in all but size. These tables were available to licensees as part of an initiative to 'Bring Back Pub Games!' by the then owners of the Ruddles Brewery brand. Three games were available, including a brewery branded Shove Ha'penny which occasionally crops up in pubs, and a garden Quoits set, more of a family amusement than a true pub game.

Dominoes, fine Elgoods Ales, and Cassels Cider are also available at the pub, as is a Shove Ha'penny, though the licensee couldn't track it down on my visit.

The White Horse

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The Bell Inn, Murrow, Cambridgeshire

There are many factors which can make the difference between success and failure in the licensed trade. Some a licensee may have little control over, whilst other aspects will be very much in their own hands. Sadly not every pub can thrive on hard work and ingenuity alone, but it's sad and disappointing to see a pub fail which may well have succeeded in better hands.

No-one could accuse the licensees of The Bell Inn of neglecting their duties to make a success of the pub. This really is one the very best examples of what can be achieved when a committed team take the helm of a relatively isolated, and slightly neglected village local. Clearly a great deal of work has been put in by licensees Andy & Dawn in the three years since they moved to the pub, and all with the full approval of the locals by all accounts. Sounds obvious doesn't it, but so often the locals are the last to be considered when it comes to change at the pub.

It's hard to imagine how a pub could be more at the heart of its community than the Bell, and it really shows when you walk into the bar, even on a weekday afternoon. The place just feels so welcoming and right. It's the kind of local that most people would want, but particularly those with a desire to get involved in their community, which is surely what village pubs should be about rather than merely upmarket foodie destinations where the locals are barely tolerated.

Needless to say, games play an important role in the success of the Bell Inn. Perhaps the jewel in the pubs gaming crown is the immaculately maintained Bowling Green at the rear, overlooked by a smart patio and a positively plush smoking shelter, furnished with the original banquet seating from the bar. Bowls is played on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the season, and I can't think of a more pleasant place to spend a Summer evening, following all the action with a pint of something good from the nearby Elgoods Brewery.

Inside it's Snookerette (otherwise known as Bar Billiards) which provides the gaming interest, with a vintage 'Sams' table available to play whenever a match in the local Gedney Hill & District League is not in progress. The pub is proud to field both the current winning team in the Winter League, as well as holding the Wooden Spoon for the up-and-coming 'B' team. A good mahogany Shove Ha'penny is also available in the bar, though you may need to provide your own coins. All in all, it's a very fine pub, go play!

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Snookerette - The Gedney Hill & District League

The external signage on the Black Bear in Wisbech advertises the pub game staples of Pool and Darts, no surprises there, but notice also that something called Snookerette is on offer at the pub. Now that's a game that not many will have heard of, although locally it's quite common, played as it is in a league of up to nine venues in the Gedney Hill & District League. So what might Snookerette be?

As you'll see from the image below, which was taken in the single large bar of the Black Bear, Snookerette is in fact the same (or very similar) to the much more commonly found, and almost universally named game of Bar Billiards. So why the curiously different name in this small part of Lincolnshire?

The cue game that we now know as Bar Billiards was effectively an import from continental Europe in the early part of the 20th century, where the game was known in the french speaking regions as Billard Russe, or Russian Billiards. The London firm of William Jelkes was the preferred manufacturer of the initial crop of tables in this country, and since a more palatable, less 'Soviet' name for the game was needed, Bar Billiards was chosen. More crucially, the name was also registered for use by Jelkes alone. The game proved to be popular, and inevitably a number of other manufacturers began to produce their own tables, often subtly different in design or dimensions, and all by necessity bearing a different trade name. The company of Alfred Sam's & Sons of Hertfordshire produced a four pin table (most are three pin models), and it's this model which is now found throughout the Gedney Hill & District league. Sam's appear to have chosen the name Snookerette for their tables.

Time has moved on since the early days of the game, and the term Bar Billiards is now almost universally used. But for some reason, the name Snookerette has persisted in the Gedney Hill area (and possibly elsewhere), such that you will be politely corrected by the locals if you make the mistake of referring to the game as Bar Billiards!

Match nights in the Gedney Hill & District League are usually on Thursdays, and there are Summer and Winter leagues, the latter slightly better supported. Needless to say, the tables are available for play outside of league match nights.

All the tables in the local Snookerette league carry the logo of the now defunct National Bar Billiard Association. The All England Bar Billiard Association now regulate the game, though the Gedney Hill & District Summer and Winter leagues are not affiliated to this body.

The Butchers Arms is located in one of the more attractive Fenland villages of Parsons Drove. The bar is a traditional drinking and gaming space with ample room for both Pool and Snookerette tables. The pub also acts as the unofficial licensed clubhouse of the adjacent Parsons Drove Bowls Club. The many trophies on display in the bar include the magnificent Shield shown below, which is still in use, with some of the older badges being replaced with new winners names when necessary.

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A Compendium of Pub Games Images - Pt.11

Wellingborough in Northamptonshire has a number of very good pubs for the beer enthusiast (see below), in all honesty, the Volunteer is currently not one of them. No real ale is on offer at the Volunteer, and yet this is still one of my favourite pubs in the town, and well worth a visit if like me you have a love of unpretentious, well-run locals pubs. From the outside there's little to draw your attention to this Victorian (?) street corner pub, only the subdued light from within indicates that it is still trading as a pub. Inside is a different matter. Light, airy, and beautifully maintained by the current licensee. A clutch of locals propping up the bar beneath a photograph of the self same locals from an earlier time, all bike leathers and long hair. A sociable bunch, and seemingly proud of their long association with the pub.

The pub staples of Darts, Pool, and Cribbage are all played, but more unusually, an old Bar Billiards Table stands to the rear of the bar. In common with many of these older tables, the coin mechanism is unmodified and therefore still requires old 10 pence pieces for a game, which are available from the bar. The Volunteer hosts a team in the local Wellingborough Bar Billiards League.

The Burnaby Arms in Bedford is a classic back-street corner local, and has recently re-opened after a sensitive refurbishment with the aim of re-establishing itself as a proper community local. It's nice to see traditional pub games like these Dominoes still have a place at the pub.

The Cross Keys, Burbage, near Hinckley in Leicestershire, has an unspoilt interior of sufficient merit to be included on CAMRA's national inventory. The front bar is a lovely place to spend an afternoon with a pint or two, and what better way to spend it than shoving a few coins up the polished surface of this Shove Ha'penny Board. The board is kept in an alcove to the right of the fireplace, with coins available from behind the bar.

The Breweriana, and hundreds of pump clips which adorn the walls of the Coach & Horses in Wellingborough are testament to the role that beer plays in the pubs success. I'm pleased to see that there is still room for a Darts Board though.

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