Three Crowns, Wymeswold, Leicestershire

The Long Alley at the Three Crowns could be said to represent a triumph of skittling ingenuity over the apparently insurmountable issue of there being no existing alley at the pub! Even more so given that there appears to be nowhere convenient to create one, the tidy Pétanque terrain in the garden being well and truly ruled out.

Skittlers, and those from Wymeswold in particular, are nothing if not tenacious in pursuit of their game though. Confident in the knowledge that all they required was some 30 feet of clear space, ideally free from obstacles such as tables and customers, the skittles team set about creating something from nothing in what is now the well appointed upstairs games room.

An upstairs alley like the one shown here at the Three Crowns is certainly not unique. I've seen a similar, much lengthier and roomier alley at the Old Kings Head in Belper for example. The skittles players at the Three Crowns were certainly up against it though, their ingenuity pushed to the limit due to the fact that the upstairs games room falls short of the full alley length by a few crucial feet. Even this wasn't considered an insurmountable problem though, with players forced to throw from outside the room to achieve the minimum distance required for league play. That's what doorways are for I guess, and it's on the landing at the top of the stairs that you'll find the line on the floor indicating the throwing point for the game. A sturdy caged safety door contains the action during a match, and an arrangement of rubber sheets protect the walls from damage at the business end of the alley. Thankfully, drinkers and diners in the cosy bar area are not inconvenienced by the match-day clatter of hardwood, since the games room is located in a separate building to the main pub.

The games room also houses a Pool Table and Darts Board, and the alley is usually available for play outside of match nights, just ask at the bar.

The impressive trophy collection is crammed onto the mantelpiece of the bar. It's no surprise there's so much silverware on show, the pub field teams in numerous local leagues, including Darts, Pool, Long Alley Skittles, and no less than four teams in the Leicestershire Pétanque Association summer league. Pétanque is strictly a summer game in the UK, which at the Three Crowns saves players from the fear of falling Bramleys during the Winter off-season.

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Pattenmakers Arms, Duffield, Derbyshire

If it wasn't for the fact that so many good pubs have had so much of their character and history 'refurbished' away in recent years, a pub like the Pattenmakers Arms would perhaps be regarded as a largely unremarkable backstreet boozer, and in many ways it is. It's a friendly and welcoming locals pub for sure, and certainly noted for serving a good pint, but going about its business in the unfussy and unpretentious way that backstreet pubs like this have been doing for generations.

It's the widespread blandness evident in modern pub design and decor, and the relative paucity of those which have retained a vestige of their heritage intact which makes pubs like the Pattenmakers special. Largely unspoilt Edwardian pubs like this are not nearly as common as they once were, and sadly are becoming rarer still with every closure and crassly insensitive refurbishment.

Etched and colourful stained glass windows at the Pattenmakers act to diffuse the bright sunlight in a way now frowned on by our current crop of pub designers. An attractive mix of original quarry tile, parquet, and mosaic flooring has survived throughout the pub, and the entirely un-radical use of carpeting, curtains, and other soft furnishings helps to absorb sound. It's the curse of modern coffee house style pubs and bars, that even when only moderately busy the cacophony of conversation and general noise can rise to unpleasant levels. All the result of the current trend for bright hard surfaces at the expense of old-fashioned comfort.

So the Pattenmakers is a pub full of genuine heritage and character, comfortable and cosy, and with a great reputation for beer and a friendly welcome. Which makes it even more sad that at the time of writing, the pubs owners Enterprise Inns are to set to reward the hard-working licensees of the Pattenmakers with a doubling the rent. Such is the reward for success in the licensed trade these days, particularly under the yolk of near-bankrupt pub companies such as Enterprise, and it could be that the pub will change hands in the near future. I wish the licensees the very best with their negotiations. I can only hope that going forward Enterprise might treat the pub with more sensitivity and respect than they have the licensees.

A traditional local like the Pattenmakers is naturally home to a range of traditional pub games. Dominoes is popular, as is Darts and Long Alley Skittles, both of which are played in local leagues.

A skittle set resides for safe keeping under the pool table of the bar. The alley is located in the car park, overlooked by a small beer garden which is ideal for spectators to view proceedings on a warm summer evening. This alley features floodlighting, and a rain-proof scoreboard so that play can continue in the Belper & District League even through the very worst English summer weather.

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Oadby, Leicestershire

The east Leicestershire village of Oadby would have been quite a hotbed of Long Alley Skittles play at one time, with at least three pubs in the village known to have had an alley, almost certainly more if we include clubs.

The image shown to the right is now probably of historic interest only, as The Wheel has recently received an extensive makeover. I haven't had a chance to visit for a drink yet, but I can see no mention of a skittle alley on the smart new livery, and it seems unlikely to have survived the refurbishment.

The Wheel was until quite recently a well supported community local where traditional pub games would have been popular. On one of the last occasions I popped in for a drink, I recall seeing a dozen or more Domino sets and Cribbage Boards stacked in an alcove, sadly underused and gathering dust by this time. Note also the presence of an 'Innovative Shulbac' at the pub, a game I never actually saw when the pub was in its prime, but which presumably refers to the Dutch disc-sliding game of Sjoelbak. Sadly the pub had become seriously neglected in the years before its short closure, to the point where the skittle alley was being used as a storage space, virtually unusable for play. I hope to visit the newly refurbished Wheel again soon. Perhaps I'll be surprised, perhaps the alley has been brought back into service!

Update: (4/12/13) - I've now had a chance to pop in to The Wheel, and can confirm that the current licensee is planning to bring the skittle alley back into use some time in the new year.

The impressive 1930's roadhouse that is the Oadby Owl was listed as having '...no fewer than four bars and a skittle alley' in the local CAMRA pub guide of 1979. Re-styled as a Hungry Horse family dining venue some years ago, it seems unlikely that the alley has survived in anything like playable condition. If by some miracle it does, I'd have to say that the owners are keeping it very quiet as there's no mention of the game anywhere that I can see.

An alley which has survived, and in perfectly playable condition albeit currently missing a set of pins and cheeses, is the one at former Banks's Brewery pub the Black Dog. This historic building is yet another of Oadby's once thriving village locals which has struggled to adapt to changing tastes (and the opening of cheap beer specialist JD Wetherspoon in the village!). The Black Dog is now in the hands of local brewers Everards, and it's hoped that plans for a much needed refurbishment will help to revitalise this historic pub. From my own perspective, I also hope that the historic skittle alley will be preserved and promoted as an asset for the pub, particularly as it may well be the last one left in the village.

The alley is housed in former stabling at the rear of the pub (there are still a number of the original tethering rings on the wall). I was informed by the current temporary licence holder that the alley has listed status, though more likely to refer to the bricks and mortar than its actual use. The alley is looking a bit dusty at the moment, the result of the home team, who play in the Tom Bishop League, upping-pins and moving to the Shakespeare pub in Braunstone. I can only apologise for the quality of these images. Strip lighting and no natural light make for challenging photographic conditions. The collecting box for cheeses at the end of the return chute, shown below, is slightly unusual, and indicative of the amount of play this alley would have once seen at the height of the games popularity.

The main bar has the basic, tile-floored, and somewhat utilitarian appearance common to many Banks's pubs. Note the leather upholstered bench seating though, which even in their current well-worn state add a certain sumptuous quality to surroundings. There are currently three separate rooms to the pub, including the Pool room shown here. This is likely to change following the forthcoming refurbishment by Everards. The wall currently providing the anchor for a Darts Board (below) is understood to be going in the forthcoming refurbishment, leaving a single 'U' shaped bar area in place of the current separate Public and Lounge bars.

Next door to the Black Dog is Everards Brewery's original pub in Oadby, the Fox Inn (below). A cosy traditional boozer with a warming open fire for winter, and with Darts and Pool available to play.

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Some Leicestershire Long Alley Skittles Images

Even though an increasing number of alleys are now being covered against the elements, Long Alley Skittles in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area remains essentially an outdoor summer game. The Leicestershire version by contrast is exclusively played indoors, and other than the two alleys on Thrussington village green, I can't think of a single example which isn't housed in either a purpose built indoor alley, or a later adapted part of the pub. It's an interesting regional distinction, the origins of which must surely be found in the very earliest development of the game.

Perhaps players of the more northerly game consider Leicestershire players a less hardy bunch, not up to skittling in the cold or rain! Maybe the 'southerners' of Leicestershire view the outside alleys of Notts and Derby as being below their standards. Whatever the reason, it's simply another example of the wide and fascinating diversity to be found in what is essentially the same nine-pin game.

The alley shown here is at the Carington Arms, Ashby Folville, a former Everards Brewery pub if memory serves me well. Note the heavy wear and tear where the pins stand, the result of repeated strikes from the hard and heavy hardwood 'Cheeses' used in the Leicestershire game. The game of Long Alley has much in common with the very earliest forms of skittles such as Cornish Kayles or Keels, where the 'balls' are delivered full toss at the pins rather than being 'bowled' on a smooth wooden surface. Because of this, only the immediate area where the pins are standing needs to be prepared for play, in this case laid to concrete, the rest of the 'alley' can be quite rough and ready.

The Carrington play in the Syston & District Skittles League, but the alley is available for functions and casual matches outside of match nights.

The photograph above features Leicester CAMRA branch chairman Keith Williams presenting an Everards Brewery team with the Camaraderie Cup in the skittle alley of The Plough in Littlethorpe, Leicestershire. This was the inaugural match in July 1993 of what has become an annual event between the branch and brewery. Everards are custodians of probably the largest number of traditional Long Alleys in the county, though sadly there has been talk of converting the alley shown here at the Plough into a dining space. This years match, the 21st by my reckoning, was played at the Black Horse in Aylestone, Leicester (some pics of my old local and its alley can be seen here). The Everards team were the winners on this occasion too.

This alley is located in the basement of the Newfoundpool Club in Leicester, a former Labour Club which supports a wide range of sports, games, and other activities, including Long Alley Skittles, Leicester Table Skittles, Darts, Snooker, and Billiards.

This is a good example of how skittle alleys would have been included in the plans of many newly built clubs in the post war era. Often, as in this case and the now defunct alley at the Nottingham Oddfellows Club in Leicester, located in the basement, well out of earshot of the main club. The Long Alley shown here is subject to minor flooding on occasion, hence the sawdust strewn floor.

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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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Long Alley in Long Eaton, Derbyshire

The Derbyshire town of Long Eaton has for many years been at the very centre of the Long Alley Skittles tradition. Until relatively recently, Tuesday evenings would have been alive with the clunk and clatter of highly competitive skittling, such was the popularity of the game with the (mostly male) locals. From my own observations in the town, practically every pub and club must have had an alley at one time, indeed most still do, though sadly many are no longer in regular use. Even so, there is still an active Long Alley Skittles league centred on Long Eaton, with perhaps half of the towns venues hosting games in the Summer league.

One of the unique features of Long Alley Skittles as played in the north Midlands is that it's predominantly an outdoor game, often played on alleys which double as car parking outside of match nights. It's this durable and semi-permanent aspect to the alleys which has helped preserve many of them from loss, in stark contrast to the many indoor alleys and other traditional pub features which continue to be lost following changes of ownership, or over-zealous refurbishment.

The alley shown above is at the rear of the New Inn, a lively, fully modernised bar in the centre of town. It's a typical outdoor 'Summer League' alley of a type found throughout Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Despite being very well maintained, this alley doesn't appear to be in league use at the moment (the skittles shown here are my own). The New Inn team are still active, but appear to have moved up the road to Brennan's. This is quite a common occurrence in league play, sometimes the result of the home pub closing, or simply a change of ownership mid-season. Note the sectional concrete return chute on the right. Built to last, thoroughly functional, and yet somehow a more elegant solution than the modern plastic pipe returns commonly seen.

Meanwhile, the alley at the rear of the Tiger Inn (right) could do with a good sweep, and the return chute has certainly seen better days. A neglected skittle alley like this one is quite a sad sight, but at least it's still there, and it wouldn't take too much to bring it back into use at a future time.

The Corner Pin is a typical town centre bar, popular with a younger crowd and not noted for its skittles play, though presumably it once would have been. There are many Corner Pins dotted around this part of the Midlands (and a few elsewhere), the name usually referring to the local skittles game.

The alley shown below is another neglected example, this one at the rear of the currently closed Royal Oak. The pub stands on a large plot with an extensive car park and Long Alley area. The feeling in the town is that the Royal Oak is unlikely to escape the developer, so this alley may well be lost along with the pub in the near future.

The Stumble Inn has a Long Alley at the rear of the pub, but as can be seen in the image above, it is no longer in use. The 'throw' for this alley is now home to a tidy new decking area, so is unlikely to come back into use any time soon.

It's not all pub game archaeology at the Stumble Inn though, with active Pool, Darts, and Domino competition in evidence. There's even the relatively rare sight of a Pinball in the games area, a game which has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years, mainly I think due to the high maintenance costs of the tables. It's also a game which has been around long enough in this country to be tentatively considered a traditional pub game!

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Heathcote Arms, Croft, Leicestershire

The Heathcote Arms and myself are drinking partners of old. The pub was a regular haunt and favourite of mine when I lived in the nearby village of Littlethorpe, Croft being just a short bus ride or pleasant enough walk from home. The pub was also a favourite with nascent beer enthusiasts in those days, mainly because the licensee at the time was known for getting a special weekend guest beer in for the regulars. This was at a time when a guest beer in a tied house like the Heathcote would have been virtually unheard of, so it felt like a bit of a naughty treat! The pub was an attractive venue in itself, traditional, unspoilt, and with a terrific sun-trap terrace to the front overlooking the village.

It also had a bit of a rugby following, and could always be relied on to show the annual Five Nations tournament. I have fond memories of drinking in the packed bar during an England match, the Domino players grumbling but rattling on regardless in the corner below the television. The Heathcote has also played host to the Camaraderie Cup challenge, an annual skittles match held between teams from Everards brewery and the local CAMRA branch. I've photos of one such match, though from the Plough in Littlethorpe, not the Heathcote.

The Heathcote of the 21st century has been expanded and modernised a fair bit since then, but the front bar remains pretty much as I remember it, and the front terrace just as popular. The beer range has also expanded, with Everards becoming one of the pioneers of guest beer provision through their Old English Ale Club in the 90's. With so many of the old skittle alleys disappearing in recent years, it's particularly pleasing that the Heathcote's alley is still a prominent feature of the pub, and in regular use by the Croft Casuals and visiting teams in the local Tom Bishop Memorial Skittles League. The alley is also available to book for skittles evenings or functions throughout the year.

The alley is a classic Leicestershire Long Alley, laid to concrete with large rubber sheets to protect the walls from the Lignum Vitae 'bombs' which players launch at the pins. The Pins and Cheeses shown here are for practice or casual play, the match day set would be locked away for safe keeping. Note the foot hole followed by a series of grooves. During a throw the player must keep his leading foot in this foot hole, sometimes known as the 'Mott'. However, it's perfectly acceptable for a player to launch themselves down the alley once the cheese has left their hand, and presumably the grooves provide a good non-slip surface for occasions where players may have acquired wet soles on regular trips to the bar.

 

In addition to the skittle alley and the pub games listed on the blackboard below, the Heathcote has one of the most challenging Shove Ha'penny Boards you're likely to find. The homemade board seen to the left of the blackboard is a 17 bed monster which is apparently popular with younger visitors to the pub.

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