A Collection of Shove Ha'pennys

The almost limitless variety to be found in manufactured and home made Shove Ha'penny boards is a dangerous thing for those of us with a penchant for collecting. Putting aside the relatively common and quite similar boards which were manufactured by Jaques, K&C, Wisden's etc. it seems that from my own observations almost every carpenter, cabinet maker, joiner, and sundry other craftsmen would have knocked up a few boards for sale locally. Add to this the literally thousands of handcrafted boards made by locals and hobbyists, and clearly it's not a collection anyone is ever likely to complete.

© John Penny

Of course, when I use the word 'variety' in the context of Shove Ha'penny boards, I'm referring to quite subtle differences in what is essentially the same basic form. To the untrained eye, one wooden Shove Ha'penny might look much the same as another, but it's these subtle differences which make it hard for the enthusiast to resist acquiring yet another piece of highly polished timber or slate whenever one comes up for sale.

The slate shown on the right is from fellow enthusiast, and keen Dorset/Somerset skittler John Penny's collection. I don't know how many boards John has, but I do know that pub games are a passion, and I hope to feature more from his collection in future posts on this blog.

This example was made by Alfred Merewood of 36 Surrey Street, Portsmouth. Cabinet maker? Games Manufacture? I've been unable to find any details of the business online. The slate itself is similar to the more commonly found 'Imp' Shove Ha'penny boards, which were embellished with a cheaper and less attractive plastic end stop than the fine wooden one on this board.

© John Penny

Smooth and durable Slate seems to have been the preferred material for Shove Ha'penny boards in pubs throughout the West Country, with many still in existence in their natural home.

The one shown to the left is located a little further east of this at the White Lion Inn, Wherwell, Hampshire. It's a very serious chunk of slate, not the kind of thing that wants moving around too much but ideal for pub use. It also features five handy recesses in the wooden end stop for the coins.

John has speculated that this may in fact be a Pushpenny given that the recesses are a good fit for old pennies. It's all in the bed depth though, which is hard to gauge from a photo. Perhaps John will have a game the next time he visits.

© John Penny

The detail on the wooden Shove Ha'penny shown above (and below) is a beautifully made, and very neat solution to the safe storage of coins or tokens when not in use. This board was made by John's great uncle, obviously a skilled craftsman, and is certainly pre-war in date.

Of course any half decent collection of Shove Ha'penny boards requires an accompanying collection of Shove Ha'penny Tokens. Here we have examples from the St Georges Series, the Shove Ha'penny Control Association, and assorted plain brass and silvered discs. Judging by the examples shown here, tokens for the game are also an area ripe for the collector.

© John Penny

I think it's true to say that the examples shown above represent the most common materials used for Shove Ha'penny boards, though I've also seen Marble and Granite used on occasion. But every now and then something truly unusual comes to light which makes the point that any hard smooth surface will do for the game, and of course there's really no reason to stick with natural and traditional materials. The board shown below was recently acquired from a snooker club in Cheltenham which was having a clear out. It's very heavy, very smooth indeed, and made from what appears to be some form of man-made resin or laminate such as Paxolin.

It's an unusual board in other ways. It's hard to imagine this would have been 'manufactured', and yet the lines have been precision cut in a way that suggests it was machine tooled rather than cut by hand. The end stop is made from some kind of industrial plastic capping which is effective but quite rudimentary and lacking elegance, and the bracing baton underneath is an off cut, still with vestiges of the paint from its previous life.

The design of the playing surface is unusual too, with a semi-circular 'D' zone, and two inexplicable circles in the end zone. Quite a mystery, and given that I still haven't managed to find out the true purpose of the more common 'D' zone, not one I'm likely to solve to be honest.

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The Three Cocks, Kettering, Northamptonshire

When a pub changes hands the new licensees will inevitably want to stamp their own personalities and ideas on the business, often in the form of a makeover. At best a good refurbishment can revitalise a previously moribund business, maybe even turn around a pub on the verge of closure and eventual loss. At worst the makeover can go too far, removing all vestiges of 'pubiness', and effectively turning the place into little more than a licenced coffee house.

This latter style of pub has become much more common in recent years, particularly in rural areas and villages. Bland, inoffensive, and often stripped of character and heritage by designers who seem to get all their ideas from glossy magazines, often in partnership with licensees who neither understand or even seem to like pubs and pub culture. None of which would be so bad if these pubs were ultimately successful, but more often than not it seems that one heavy handed refurbishment simply leads to another as the locals fail to warm to the latest interior decor fad.

The Three Cocks in Kettering is an excellent example of the sensitive refurbishment of a previously neglected town centre pub. Rather than imposing an off-the-peg style straight out of an IKEA catalogue, the pub has simply been given a bright, clean and welcoming makeover which comfortably strikes the balance between modernity and the age-old traditions of social drinking.

Owners Rob Seymour and Andrea Barham are an experienced, and CAMRA award winning team, and have naturally brought their enthusiasm for beer and cider to the pub from their previous venture in Essex. It's proving to be a welcome addition to the local beer scene, and the pub has already achieved a place in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide for the quality of the ale on offer.

The revitalisation of the Three Cocks doesn't stop at the decor and beer range though, and it's particularly pleasing to see the return of Northamptonshire's most traditional game to the pub in the form of a fine old Skittles Table.

The removal of the ubiquitous Pool Table from the games area, and the return of Northamptonshire Table Skittles alongside the Darts is a good indicator of the direction Rob and Andrea see the pub moving in. The Three Cocks now field teams in both the Kettering & District Skittles League and Kettering Darts League, and are on the lookout for more players to make up a 'B' team in the skittles. The return of traditional gaming to the pub has also been marked by the return of several old trophies to the pub, kept for safe keeping by a local and now on display in the games area.

Rob & Andrea have also brought a good Shove Ha'penny with them to the pub, available from the bar and currently awaiting the rediscovery of the half pennies so you may have to take your own.

We took our own coins for a game during the recent Autumn Blind Tasting Beer Festival, attracting a small crowd of spectators for the 'Live Sport'! The board plays pretty well, even if we didn't on the day!

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Pushpenny and a Government Issue Shove Ha'penny!

The Shove Ha'penny Board shown here was a recent inexpensive acquisition from a vintage stall in Gloucestershire. No information on its origin was forthcoming from the dealer, which is a shame but usually the case.

At first glance it appears to be little more than a cheap homemade board, very similar in appearance to another inexpensive board which has already featured on this blog. Both are constructed from three planks of tongue and groove timber, and both have a similar three piece end stop arrangement. In fact the timbers are thinner and longer on this board, and it's probably made from a better quality hardwood, but nevertheless, the design is essentially identical.

The main difference between the two boards, and what makes this one slightly more interesting than most, is only noticeable on closer examination of the edges and underside.

The stamped mark shown above can be found on one edge of the playing surface, and seems to me to represent most of the lettering of London games manufacturer Jaques. As you can see, there is more lettering above this, but it's position on the very edge of the board makes it too indistinct to read. If we assume this is a Jaques board, it suggests that the company would have made a whole range of different models, from their usual top of the range Mahogany and Brass boards, down to this cheaper, more workmanlike version. Interesting? Well maybe not. Jaques have been around for a very long time, so it's hardly surprising they would have made numerous different models for different markets. There may have been another explanation for a cheaper model like this though, which brings me to the other, much clearer mark located on the bracing baton underneath.

The symbol shown on this image appears to be a Government property stamp with an associated number 56, the purpose of which is not entirely clear but could have been a stores number. Known as a Broad Arrow, this mark was stamped onto all manner of items, military issue equipment and sundries in particular. At first it might seem strange to find a government property mark on a Shove Ha'penny board, but in fact the game seems to have been very popular, and very widely played in the forces at one time. Not only have I seen one or two supposed ex-RAF Shove Ha'penny boards for sale online (for appropriately sky-high prices it must be said), but there are also several photographs from the second world war era showing RAF personnel playing the game as a way to relax between missions (see here and here for example).

Quite whether this board is ex-military issue, or for how long the government would have continued to list Shove Ha'penny boards in its extensive store inventory is hard to say. My best guess is that this board formed part of an order placed by the government to Jaques of London, possibly some time around the second world war. Perhaps this was a special 'war standard' Shove Ha'penny, explaining the cheap and cheerful construction of the board by a company usually noted for the high quality of its numerous games.

Update (23/09/13) - I've now had confirmation from Jaques that this board was indeed a government issue Shove Ha'penny, dating from some time around the second world war. The board will now be joining Jaques own games collection.

Pushpenny

The Pushpennys shown here include a small homemade board (left) which is now part of the fixtures and fittings of The George in Ashley, Northamptonshire. The larger board (right) came in a job lot of junk at an agricultural auction in Melton Mowbray. It was in very poor condition, missing its end-stop, and as can be seen in the image below, had suffered from the attentions of Wood Boring Beetle at some point. I thought it was worth a few quid and set about treating and restoring it to active service. Although similar in most regards to a classic Stamford Pushpenny board, there are a couple of crucial differences likely to preclude this board from serious league play.

The playing surface of a Pushpenny Board is usually made from a tight grained hardwood such as Mahogany, sometimes with a softer wood used for the scoring and end pieces. The board shown here is unusual in that the timber for the playing surface is a fairly smooth softwood (possibly Pitch Pine), with a deep brown, tight grained hardwood used for the scoring strips. A matching piece of hardwood also forms the start of the playing surface. A good deal of work has gone into the construction of this board, including beautifully inlaid hardwood strips to mark each of the nine beds, so it's perhaps surprising that a more suitable wood wasn't chosen in the first place for the playing surface. After some work with fine sandpaper and steel wool, the playing surface has come up to be quite smooth, but I don't think it will ever be as 'fast' as a hardwood board. Maybe it needs a bit more work, or maybe it will get better with a bit of play. It's also worth mentioning that the spacings on this board are a little wider than other Stamford boards I've seen.

Detail of the end stop and side bars on the Pushpenny Board at the George, Ashley.

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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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Three Pubs for Shove Ha'penny

Fox & Goose, Ilston-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire

Atmospheric and unspoilt village local the Fox & Goose has featured briefly on this blog before. It's a pub worthy of a repeat though as the licensee has recently added a fine pair of Shove Ha'penny Boards to the more obvious attractions of good beer and conversation. Both boards are solid and weighty, only needing a little additional polish through regular use to be worthy of serious afternoon competition. The pub also has a small Devil Amongst The Tailors, ideal for children to play, as well as Darts, Dominoes, Cards, and Table Tennis! Traditional pub games will also feature at the Fox & Goose during the annual Onion Sunday event on the 1st September.

The Ship Inn, March, Cambridgeshire

Thatched, Grade II listed riverside pub the Ship Inn is all chocolate box loveliness on the outside, yet smart, modernised, and open-plan within. It still retains a good deal of its original character though, and remains a lively and popular venue with an excellent reputation for its range of real ales. The games corner has numerous sets of Dominoes and associated Crib Boards, as well as this well-played and well-worn old Shove Ha'penny Board.

The Exeter Arms, Easton-on-the-Hill, Lincolnshire

It's unusual to find a Shove Ha'penny Board in any pub these days, but perhaps even more so at the Exteter Arms. Firstly, the Exeter is quite an upmarket and foody 'destination' pub, though not exclusively so as a proper bar area has been retained. The other factor is the pubs close location to Stamford, home of the similar but really quite different game of Pushpenny. Perhaps the owners couldn't find a Pushpenny for the pub. Whether this board has been located in the bar simply as an attractive bygone I couldn't say, but it's a perfectly serviceable playing surface, in need of a bit of a polish for sure, but nice to see anyway.

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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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A Compendium of Pub Games Images - Pt 16

The Chestnut is a friendly and vibrant local, tucked away in a leafy residential area of Worcester. It's an interesting pub, run by an enthusiastic (and slightly eccentric) landlord. A recent addition to the bar is a full size Pine Pulpit, and afternoons can be spent browsing the extensive vinyl collection, with a record deck available to play whatever takes your fancy. This huge slate Shove Ha'penny was rescued from another pub and the landlord would love to see it get more use (though you may have to take your own half pennies). Alternatively, there's a Devil Amongst The Tailors for skittles fans.

There's a sign in the bar of the Rose & Crown in Oundle promising 'Darts and Dominoes Every Wednesday Night'. Sadly the rattle of Dominoes is no longer a weekly feature, but the Darts Board is still in situ and available to play.

Cribbage Boards, old and some not so old. The Pleasantime 'Once Around' Two Lane Cribbage Board on the left is American and from around the 1950's. It comes complete with a lovely set of wooden pegs, and a folded sheet giving the Basic Rules of Cribbage. The Crown and Anchor board has the look and simple charm of a homemade affair. The holes are huge for a crib board, and the pub name has been simply added using a letter punch of the type commonly used to mark woodworking tools.

Another well maintained, clean and tidy, yet cosy and full of character back-street village local. The Railway Inn at Ketton, Rutland, bucks the trend for upmarket, food driven, and largely characterless pubs which are becoming all too common in my experience, particularly in rural areas. I've lost count of the number of times a historic pub exterior merely dresses up a bland, stripped out interior. All blond wood laminate flooring and late 20th century brown leather sofas, more Swedish furniture store than traditional British pub in character. Thankfully, there are still pubs like the Railway, which along with the village shop is the true hub of the community. It's quite small within, which presumably accounts for being a drinkers pub rather than one noted for food. Despite its diminutive size, league Pool, Darts, Cribbage and Dominoes are all played at the Railway. Quite an achievement for a pub of any size these days.

Silver Medals like the one shown below were once quite a common reward for success in league and cup games play. I've seen examples for everything from Dominoes to Quoits and Skittles, sometimes hallmarked, occasionally even featuring a gold element. All I know about this one is that it was presented in 1949 to an F. Souster for some measure of success in Darts. It's a shame there's not a little more information about the league/competition, and what exactly the achievement would have been that the medal was presented for.

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Three Tuns, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Old established family brewers like Elgoods seem to value their pub estates that much more than non-brewing pub companies. Pubcos (and sadly this includes some of the very large brewers) are so divorced from the business of brewing and selling ale, that their estates are merely there for short-term cash flow, or medium-term property investment. A brewery which owns its own pubs has a vested interest in their success since they act as a shop window for the brewers craft. Time and again, if it's the best of unspoilt traditional British pubs you're looking for (and a genuine, well-run Free House is not available), those owned by the old established family brewers are the ones that seem to deliver the goods more often than not.

A good many beer enthusiasts don't seem to value these more traditional boozers very highly though. The choice of beers not nearly exciting enough, the conversation not nearly 'beery' enough. Novelty, extreme hop rates, and unusual flavours are what beer enthusiasts favour, all of which can be more commonly found in a shiny new beer bar, no matter how dull and impersonal the interior. Even a Wetherspoon has more value to the beer enthusiast than a pub which has developed and grown within the local community for generations. The beer range is better you see, which for some seems to be all that matters.

Pubs like the Three Tuns are not for beer geeks though, they service the needs of people who perhaps have a better understanding of what makes the great British pub so unique and envied throughout the world. People, conversation, and the sense of belonging to a community that a true local engenders. Entertainment, games, and perhaps even drinking good beer, but without feeling the need to spend all night talking about it!

The Pool Table has now gone from the Three Tuns, but Darts, Shove Ha'penny, and a very good Dice Set are available for play in the comfortable front bar.

The bar itself benefits from a fairly typical set of Elgoods liveried stained glass windows, the small panes and sparse decoration giving the bar a slightly subdued lighting level which really suits the traditional decor, and very well suits an afternoon pint.

The dice is a good quality Abbot Ale set, containing a Shut The Box, Poker Dice, and Crown & Anchor amongst others. The Shove Ha'penny could do with a good polish and a bit more use.

 

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