Four Pub Game Books

This small two shilling booklet on Inn Games is regarded by Arthur Taylor, author of 'Played in the Pub' (see below), as probably the first to treat pub games as a separate subject in its own right. These 'Know The Game' books first appeared in the 50's, and covered every sport, game, hobby and pastime imaginable, giving the most up to date rules as supplied by the relevant governing body.

The choice of games in such a slim volume is necessarily selective, but even so, the inclusion of Draughts seems slightly odd to me. Was it really considered a pub game in 1955 when this edition was published?

Of greatest interest to me is the chapter on Shove Ha'penny, which gives the most comprehensive explanation of the basic rules I've yet seen, including one or two subtleties I hadn't come across previously. These were written in collaboration with the News of the World, who at that time were involved in organising national competitions in both Shove Ha'penny and Darts.

The Watney Book of Pub Games was written by the then Northamptonshire resident Timothy Finn, and expands greatly on the selection given in the Know The Game booklet (and with no room for Draughts!). It's a good book which suffers somewhat from comparison with the authors later, much revised and expanded work, Pub Games of England. The latter work is also much better presented, with photographs replacing the simple diagrams of this modest paperback. Most of the pub games known to us now are included and explained, including a chapter on the banned, but still believed to be in existence at the time 'sport' of Cock Fighting.

Timothy Finn was a great fan of Northamptonshire Table Skittles (or Hood Skittles as it's known here), and played at his local pub. The photo on the back cover shows the author standing outside a pub with a half drained pint glass in hand. Whilst it's hard to be sure from such a small monochrome image, the pub has more than a passing resemblance to the Royal Oak at Naseby, a pub which may well have been the authors local, and which still has a fine Northants skittles table today.

Perhaps the most interesting inclusion in Pub Games is the short listing of pubs 'Where They Play' each game, an idea which was expanded on in the follow up book, Pub Games of England. Needless to say, many of the suggestions included in this 1966 publication are either no longer with us, or have been refurbished with little or no room for traditional games amongst the dining tables. For example the Fox at Catworth is noted as a venue for Northants Skittles, but this pub closed for good in 2012, and I don't believe any of the pubs noted in the Evesham area still have a 'Dobbers' board, Evesham Quoits having declined so completely in recent years.

Timothy Finn's follow up book, Pub Games of England, is a much more readable version of the Watney brewery sponsored book above, though even here the pictures are fairly low quality monochrome. A minor but notable change in the editorial is the sense of decline in many of the games featured, even a suggestion that some may be on the verge of extinction. This is perhaps surprising given the publication date of 1975, a time when most pubs would still have been thriving.

On a more positive note, Cock Fighting has gone, to be replaced by a chapter on the slightly bogus pub game of Dwyle Flonking. Chapters are arranged on a regional basis, and include a more comprehensive listing of 'Reported Sightings' to aid games enthusiasts like myself track down many of these increasingly rare games. Given that this book is now over 35 years old, the listings are mostly of academic interest only, although some, such as the Talbot Inn, Gretton, Northants, are still accurate.

Played at the Pub by Arthur Taylor is the current, and definitive guide to the subject of pub games. It really is a wonderful study of the subject. The more you read of it, the more you want to discover and experience the many fascinating games which are featured.

The book is packed with a fine selection of vintage and contemporary photographs, but this is no coffee table book. The text is authoritative, well researched, and written with warmth, and a genuine enthusiasm for the subject. Of course the decline of both pubs and the games played in them is never far away, and it would be all too easy to look at this book as nostalgia pure and simple. But the fact is, many of these games are still played regularly and enthusiastically by thousands of ordinary people throughout the country. This is not nostalgia, this is both social history, and everyday life and play for many folk.

My only criticism of this book, if I really had one, is that there isn't nearly enough of it. The subject of Skittles for example, in all its myriad forms and local rules, could easily fill a book of this size on its own. Perhaps one day someone will give skittles the kind of literary attention that Cricket and Snooker have been afforded, Arthur Taylor would certainly be my choice of man for the job.

All of these books can be fairly easily found in the secondhand book market, but Played at the Pub is available to buy new, and I urge anyone with an interest in pubs and the games played in them to go out and find a copy.

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A Compendium of Pub Games Images - Pt.13

The Alexandra Hotel in Derby. Handy for the rail station, and popular for beer, railway memorabilia, and Darts. A pub league operates at the Alex.

This is the Aunt Sally 'throw' at the rear of the Horseshoe Inn, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. An excellent pub with friendly locals and a good reputation for beer and cider. The Horseshoe team play in the Chipping Norton Invitation Aunt Sally League, and appear to have finished bottom of division three with no wins in 2012 season. Perhaps the beer comes first at the Horseshoe.

Shiny new stainless steel fermenting vessels and an old traditional Northamptonshire Skittles Table co-exist at the Hart Brewery in Wellingborough, but for one day only. This photo was taken during the run-up to Christmas when the brewery were running a 'pop-up' bar for the Nene Park Christmas Fayre. The table, another A R Pinckard of Kislingbury model, was on loan from a nearby pub.

This old Shove Ha'penny has the look of a well used ex-pub board. Made from three planks of quite lightweight timber, it's certainly not a commercially manufactured board, and may even have been produced from an old door or table top. The joins, which are solidly fixed with box joints, can clearly be seen on the image below where they have split slightly over the years through shrinkage. I've no idea what the wood is, but it's less dense and therefore softer than you would normally expect with a Shove Ha'penny Board. The surface is not especially smooth, and as can be seen from the images here, there are numerous dents and scratches on the surface. Nevertheless, it plays well enough, if a little slow, and the light-weight nature of this board means it is ideal for carrying to the pub for an afternoon game. A small brass eyelet on the top edge was probably used to hang the board in the bar when not in use.

These Long Alley Skittle Cheeses originally saw service at the Coleman Road Sports & Social Club in Leicester, as indicated by the embossed lettering on the ends. Sadly, this once thriving club has now closed, though the skittles team(s) are still in action elsewhere. This set of eleven hardwood (possibly Lignum Vitae) Cheeses were considered too worn and damaged to be of use in a league match and therefore surplus to requirements. A few hours with sand paper and Teak Oil has helped bring them back to a more usable state.

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George & Dragon, Belper, Derbyshire

The attractive Derwent Valley market town of Belper is still one of the main centres of Long Alley Skittles play, a game increasingly hard to find in the larger towns of the Derby and Nottingham area, but happily still clinging on in smaller towns and villages. The Derby/Notts version of the game, featuring quite large wooden balls rather than the barrel shaped 'Cheeses' found in Leicestershire, is usually played outdoors, and is therefore predominantly a Summer game. A Winter league does exist, but only pubs and clubs with a covered (and ideally heated!) alley can compete in it.

This alley at the George & Dragon is now lying idle for the Winter, though presumably the existence of an incomplete set of skittles means that casual games on fine days can still be had. The pub is one of the best in the town for real ales, and supports a number of pub teams in local Darts, Dominoes, Pool, and Quiz leagues.

This red concrete foot marker can be found in the car park of the pub, positioned at right angles to the current layout of the alley as seen to the right. It's not in the least bit unusual to find an alley has been rotated from its original position in this way, particularly in the Derby/Notts area where Long Alley is still played for the most part outdoors. In this case the move was probably necessitated by the increased pressure for car parking at the pub. As featured on this blog already, the Queens at Beeston altered the orientation of their alley to facilitate the building of a lean-to covering for the alley, a stipulation for participation in the Winter league.

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The Trophy Cabinet

This nice old Darts plaque may have been silver plated originally. It's also possible that the high sheen of the 'cartouche' at the bottom is the result of the original inscription being polished out, which is a shame as this would have helped locate the plaque to the pub or club it originally came from. Having said that, it does make this attractive trophy eminently re-usable.

I can only assume that the engraver was payed by the letter to embellish this humble Pewter Tankard trophy. Presented to a W. Jones some 55 years ago, the abbreviated lettering is probably for the Newfoundpool Working Mens Club in Leicester. Now a non-political social club, it is still going strong and hosting a wide range of traditional games, including Leicestershire Long Alley Skittles and the rarer Leicester version of Table Skittles.

The tradition of awarding a trophy to teams and individuals who finish at the bottom of a league table is a long one, and usually takes the form of a Wooden Spoon as shown below. Whilst nobody wants to win one of these trophies, it is to the credit of the pubs and team members who receive them that they are generally always displayed in the pub and not tucked away out of sight. A trophy for the Leicestershire game of Long Alley Skittles is quite a rare one these days, so a special award for the lowest average score as seen above could only be found at one of the current hotbeds of the game. This one sits amongst a shelf-full of assorted pub game trophies at the Rose & Crown, Thurnby. The skittle alley at the Rose & Crown is one of the better known in the Midlands, and features prominently in Arthur Taylor's book 'Played at the Pub'.

The Artizan Ladies Darts team appear to have a stranglehold on the Division 2 wooden spoon. This basic back street Northampton pub is active in local Darts, Pool, and Cribbage leagues.

These impressive Shields, displayed at the Eagle pub in the Lincolnshire town of Boston,  represent some of the spoils of the Boston Dominoes League.

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Saffron Lane Working Mens Club, Leicester

This short film has been produced by Dean Wright as a lasting record of the soon to be demolished Saffron Lane Working Mens Club in Leicester. Note the Leicester Skittles Table at 52 seconds, and the four Billiards Tables. It's doubtful whether there will be room for all of these should plans for a smaller rebuilt club come to fruition in 2013.

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The Embankment, Nottingham - Pt.2

My previous post featured the excellent Skittle Alley in the basement of The Embankment, a real rarity now in Nottingham, and almost certainly the closest available for play to the city centre. However, the main focus of games play at this venue can be found in the spacious 'Billiards Room' on the ground floor, equipped with four full-size tables for Snooker, and comfortable raised banquette seating for viewing play.

The game of Billiards is not one you'll find played much these days, and yet Billiards tables like the ones shown here at The Embankment are still common enough. The three ball game of Billiards has been almost entirely superseded by it's more sophisticated sibling Snooker, but since the two games share a common playing surface the old Billiards tables remain and continue to give good service.

The four very fine old tables at The Embankment include this model from a local Nottingham manufacturer. Elston & Hopkin still operate in the cue sports field, albeit under different ownership and from a base in Lincolnshire. The firm don't appear to manufacture tables or equipment anymore, rather they are dealers in a range of new and pre-owned tables, and provide a repair and fitting service. Some of the current score boards at the club were also manufactured by Elston & Hopkin, including the one shown here.

According to Arthur Taylor in his excellent book 'Played At The Pub', there may now only one remaining pub in the UK with a fully functioning Billiards room, the grade II listed Lamb Hotel in Eccles, snooker now being almost exclusively a club game with the cheaper and more compact games of Pool and Bar Billiards preferred in pubs nowadays.

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The Embankment, Nottingham - Pt.1

Of all the sizeable towns and cities in the Midlands region, it's perhaps Nottingham which is regarded as the one with the most vibrant and diverse nightlife. The pubs and bars which support this thriving social scene are an excellent mix of old and new, where cool modern bars rub shoulders with the genuine heritage of old favourites such as the Bell Inn, Trip To Jerusalem, and the cosy Peacock on Mansfield Road.

Despite this undoubtedly healthy mix, and with a few notable exceptions, traditional pub games and the community locals where they are still played have largely been pushed out to the fringes of Nottingham in recent years. A handful of Castle Rock Brewery pubs are a notable exception, the Newshouse and Vat & Fiddle having already featured on this blog, but any kind of league play has all but disappeared in the centre of town.

If there's one game I thought I'd find more evidence of in Nottingham, it's the local Notts/Derby version of Long Alley Skittles, yet the only alley I'd managed to track down was the one in the garden of the excellent Plough Inn, a little way out of town at Old Radford. Thanks to an article in the December/January edition of Nottingham CAMRA's newsletter Nottingham Drinker, I've now had the opportunity to visit another surviving Long Alley at a former club on the edge of the town centre, perhaps a sign that there may be other surviving alleys waiting to be discovered in the town.

The Embankment was originally a shop and club premises for Boots The Chemist, but is now run by a charitable trust for the benefit of the local community. Describing itself as '...a unique venue for all occasions', with functions including weddings particularly well catered for, the bar and extensive facilities are open to all. The main gaming interest at the Embankment will feature in part two of this post, but here are a few images from the basement, including the excellent Long Alley.

In the basement of the Embankment can be found amongst other things, the smart purpose built Skittle Alley. I was told by the manager that it was still in need of a little TLC, but to be honest it's one of the better alleys I've seen and perfectly serviceable for play. The alley is a typical Notts/Derby area Long Alley, with cast iron plate for setting the pins, loose metal sheet to help indicate when a throw doesn't complete the minimum distance, and a very sturdy wooden shute for returning the balls. Also available for play in the basement is an old Jaques Devil Amongst The Tailors, Table Football, and Darts Board. The rubber mat for the Darts throw features the Home Ales bowman, which is interesting only in that the alley is very similar to the 'basement' alley at The Beacon pub in Loughborough. The Beacon was originally built by Home Brewery in the 60's, who apparently had a policy of including a skittle alley in all of their new builds. Though the building and club activities date from much earlier, the bar was only installed at the Embankment in the late 60's, perhaps as a Home Brewery account.

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