Conservative Club, Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire

Barrow Upon Soar in Leicestershire's Soar Valley is probably best known for the impressive Plesiosaur fossil that was discovered by workmen digging a Lime Pit in 1851, the original, now catchily renamed Rhomaleosaurus Megacephalus, resides in Leicester's New Walk Museum. Villagers are clearly proud of their fossil, examples of which are reproduced all over the village (above) as part of a Fossil Trail that I didn't have time to explore. I suspect this may be the only thing Barrow is truly famous for, although it's position on the navigable River Soar is how many outsiders will have come across the village, and the extensive Lime Works are a notable landmark when viewed from the Midland Mainline between Leicester and Loughborough.

There is of course much more to Barrow than ancient aquatic fossils. The pubs of the village for example, of which there are a fair few. In fact Barrow Upon Soar strikes me as being a relatively small village that's slightly over-pubbed! Not that I believe anywhere can truly be over-pubbed if the locals are keen to use them, so let’s rephrase that as 'blessed' with good number of pubs and clubs, most of which I found to be very good indeed on a recent visit to the village.

So Barrow is a village that makes for a great afternoon pub crawl destination, even more so if you're up for the short walk across the River Soar floodplain (do check the tides first!) to explore the clutch of pubs in nearby Quorndon (renamed Quorn in 1889). Quorn village also opens up the possibility of a ride on the Great Central Railway, a preserved heritage rail line that runs from Loughborough, through beautiful Charnwood countryside to Birstall on the outskirts of Leicester.

We might expect that a Leicestershire village as comprehensively pubbed as Barrow would be a happy hunting ground for traditional pub games, indeed the Soar Valley area remains one of the strongholds of Leicestershire's unique version of Alley Skittles. In fact Barrow itself has only two alleys as far as I can tell, of which only one is in regular use for competition, the Working Men's Club in nearby Sileby being the only other venue for league play within walking distance. The fact is that many of the pubs and clubs in the area have lost their skittle alleys, the Blue Bell in Rothley converting theirs to a restaurant as recently as 2014 for example.

As it happens it would have been around 10 years ago that I last explored the village, penning a piece on skittles at the Soar Bridge Inn which is now probably Barrow's last remaining pub with an alley for the local game of Long Alley Skittles. Whether it gets much use for the game these days is hard to say, the pub doesn't seem to field a team in the local league anymore so perhaps it's more of a social venue now.

So for league play we must go to the nearby Barrow Conservative Club, which should be no great hardship whatever your political persuasion given that in common with almost every club I've been to in recent years it's impeccably run, and with a decent local pint and quality snacks too, though more particularly the kind of filled Cobs the East Midlands is rightly famous for.

It's at places like the Conservative Club that traditional pub games not only survive, but in many cases truly thrive. Cribbage, Darts, Dominoes, Skittles, and Snooker are all played at the club, Quiz Nights, Bands and Bingo keeping the non-gamers entertained.

Tucked away off North Street, some might say the club is appropriately located given that the building, whilst certainly tidy enough, is in truth not much to look at from the outside. I was keen to get a photo but I just couldn't find an angle that made it look anything more than it is, a modern red brick affair with a separate, and if anything slightly more attractive Skittle Alley/Function Room. So, somewhat plain and functional on the outside, but warm and welcoming within.

The Conservative Club Skittle Alley occupies space in a sizeable function room, the ‘Frame’ for the skittle pins a pockmarked steel plate set into the wooden flooring (right). This setup is increasingly popular for a game that would originally have been played outdoors (as it still is at some venues for the game in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire), or at best in a draughty outhouse of the pub. Comfort is more of a concern now, particularly for leagues that play through the Winter months, as here. Given the robust nature of a game where barrel shaped 'Cheeses' are hurled through the air rather than rolled along the surface, it surprises me that these indoor alleys don't suffer more damage, testament to the skills and accuracy of the players I'm sure.

Whenever I investigate Long Alley Skittles in Leicestershire it's almost always the Syston & District Skittles League that comes up. There's not much to be found about the history of the league online, sadly there rarely is for pub games leagues, but it's certainly been around for at least the best part of a century. Indeed I have a medal for the 1944/45 season of what was then called the Syston Skittles League (left). The much reduced 'District' league of today extends as far as Melton Mowbray in one direction, Barrow and Sileby in the other, with competition down to just one division of ten teams. This encompasses several Cup Competitions and numerous trophies for outstanding performance, such as Highest Individual Score. Reduced it may be, but the league is also a proud supporter of the local LOROS Hospice through generous donations from its membership.

Midland Band Social Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire

It's been a while since I last explored the post-COVID pub games scene. It's not for lack of interest though, more the increasing difficulty and expense of visiting far-flung places and finding the pubs I'm aiming for are actually open! Pubs of most shapes and sizes remain a passion though, and rarely a week goes by that I don't visit a few in the course of a good walk or social day out.

It's noticeable that behaviours continue to change around pub going. Queuing at the bar seems to have persisted in the wake of the pandemic, much to the chagrin of some, though of all the changes it's one of the least concerning to me. More notable is the substantially reduced trade and trading hours during weekdays, lunchtime and afternoons in particular which just happen to be my favourite pubbing times. Levels of trade and relentlessly spiralling costs are dictating pub opening times like no other, because there's no point a licensee opening up, paying staff, lighting and heating a building, maybe even running a kitchen when there's little chance of covering your costs. It's long been the case that outside of towns and cities it's rare to find a pub open on a Monday, but it's now often the same for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, even extending as far as Thursday in some cases. The sad fact is that for many of us, pub-going has become mainly a weekend only affair, often by choice but increasingly it's necessity.

The lockdowns that blighted the pub trade during the pandemic have inevitably left a legacy of further decline in pub games participation. Many games that were considered too risky to play under social distancing rules were effectively removed from the bar, more often than not merely put into storage, ready to return to the bar in better times, but sadly the disruption to many leagues has had the effect of accelerating the decline of formal competition. Many leagues have shrunk, some even folded, and the games themselves have sometimes gone from the bar for good. All this and more has made the task of documenting our precious pub games traditions ever more difficult, and I'd have to say that the ever increasing cost and unreliability of public transport hasn't helped in this regard, in many cases I've simply been priced out of the kind of travel needed to do our national pastimes the justice they deserve.

There are of course plenty enough exceptions where traditional games continue to be popular, and when one falls practically on my own doorstep it would be remiss of me not to get back on the horse, charge up the camera, and sing its praises with a blog post.

Kettering sits close to the northern limit of the Northamptonshire Table Skittles tradition, yet remains at its very heart as far as participation is concerned, although you'd be hard pressed to notice as much on a visit to the town centre these days. Skittles Tables have gone in recent years from the recently closed Harlequin and Three Cocks pubs, as well as the heavily refurbished Market Inn, leaving only the Alexandra near the town centre as a solid and reliable Table Skittles pub. It's also a firm favourite for beer locally and happily opens throughout the week from early afternoon, midday at the weekend. As with many towns and cities, to find the local pub games you have to travel out to pubs and clubs in the suburbs and housing estates.

Equally popular for its great beer, and also conveniently open all day every day, is the Midland Band Social Club. Located a little way out of the the centre, it's just a short walk through Kettering's old terraced housing, and much of the town's remaining Boot & Shoe manufacturing heritage to the north of the town. As the name suggests, the club was originally established as a home for one of the town's Silver Bands in 1896. Back then a small outdoor Beerhouse served Northampton brewed Phipps ales, today the much expanded club might almost be regarded as a local 'Tap' for the nearby Potbelly Brewery, and the bar is perhaps second only for choice of ales to the Alex'.

In common with almost every club I've been to recently, the Midland Band is a tidy and very well run club with a fully subscribed membership. The bar area leads through to a sizeable function room, and at the back is a similarly impressive Games Room. The early years of the club are notable for success in Billiards and Snooker, as evidenced by numerous old photographs of successful teams and players. The Billiards Tables appear to be long gone from the club though of course Kettering is still in the spotlight for cue sports with the recent success of local professional Snooker player Kyren Wilson.

Latterly the club is better known for it's Bowls Club which plays on the Recreation Ground Green just across the road, and with a current membership of around 1000! Perhaps not quite so popular but well catered for nevertheless are teams for Darts, Pool, and that most local of Northamptonshire games Table Skittles which includes teams for Mens, Ladies, and Mixed leagues. All these games command their own discreet space in the games room, though hopefully they're not all played together given the noise levels, although it's notable that the Skittles Table sits in it's own netted cage so at least other players will be safe enough from flying boxwood cheeses.

New Inn, Enderby, Leicestershire

Enderby was at one time a favourite hunting ground for good, solid, unpretentious boozers. In the early 80's, almost all of Enderby's half a dozen pubs fell into this category, six making a good number for an afternoon pub-crawl. The Plough on the hill was a good basic Marston's house where a cracking pint of Pedigree was guaranteed (now an Indian restaurant). The Havelock was the kind of basic spit-and-sawdust Bass Brewery house that seemed utterly unremarkable at the time, yet with the passing of time is perhaps the one I miss the most (now an Italian restaurant). The multi-room King William IV has now been converted to residential use, which leaves just half of those original six pubs remaining, though thankfully all three are still good honest pubs at heart (see also: Dog & Gun).

Tucked away up a narrow lane in the heart of the old village, the thatched and whitewashed exterior of the New Inn has the timeless and traditional appearance of a well-preserved gem of a pub. Thankfully the interior doesn't disappoint in the way that so many village pubs do, and although there have been changes to the interior of the pub in recent years, it's still a truly great example of a traditional and well-loved village local. I recall that when the Havelock was first irrevocably altered, becoming for a few years prior to its current restaurant incarnation The Chatsworth, the locals were so unimpressed with the gaudy new interior that they upped-sticks and relocated to the cosy comfort of the nearby New Inn. A small notice above the bar indicated this was now the welcome home for ex-pat Havelock drinkers, such was the attraction of Everards Brewery's very first pub, and I'm pleased to say that the welcome remains to this day.

This part of rural Leicestershire is blessed with a relatively high density of alleys for Long Alley Skittles, many of which are located at Everards Brewery pubs. In addition to being the custodians of many of these old skittle alleys, Everards have a long history of supporting the game in Leicestershire, and are current sponsors of the Winter Premier division in the Tom Bishop Memorial Skittles League. The alley at the New Inn is a well appointed one, even to the point of housing a recently installed wood-burning stove for use during the Winter season. The alley is available for hire for groups, and also sees regular service in the Tom Bishop Memorial Skittles League.

The New Inn is probably unique in Leicestershire as having the only full-size Snooker Table available for play at a pub.

A Collection of Billiards & Snooker Images

Very many of the grand urban pubs built around the turn of the century would have included a dedicated Billiards Room in their layout. The game was enjoying a surge in popularity prior to the war years, and breweries were keen to include the game in their pub designs. Almost all of these have subsequently been converted to more profitable use, with Snooker and to a lesser degree Billiards, almost exclusively club games now. A full size Billiards Table is therefore a rare thing to find in a pub these days, and it's perhaps even more surprising to find a fully functioning vintage table in a 1930's estate pub.

Northfields in Stamford, Lincs, is quite a large pub, and like many similarly located estate pubs has struggled for trade in recent years. Sadly, being surrounded by housing is no guarantee of custom in the 21st century, but under new management the Northfield is making good progress in getting back to where it should be. The various pub game teams are being re-established, and there are even plans to reinstate the old Skittle Alley at the rear of the pub in time.

In common with other manufacturers, Burroughes & Watts ceased production of Billiards tables during the war years. Materials became increasingly hard to come by, and with so many men enlisted for the war effort, the game would presumably have been much less played anyway. They continued to refurbish tables until the closure of the company in 1967, making it hard to date Billiards tables like this even when bearing an original label. Old Billiards tables like the one at the Northfield are predominantly used for Snooker these days. The older game of Billiards has largely retreated from view, though it's still played at the amateur level.

The windows shown in the image above are located on the first floor of the currently closed Bush Inn, Worcester. This pub's closed status is all the more sad since it has been listed on CAMRA's Inventory of Heritage Pubs due to its largely unspoilt interior. The Billiards Room was functioning as a large dining area up until the pub closed in 2010.

E.J. Riley were one of the longest lasting of all the British Cue Sports manufacturers, which presumably explains why there are still so many Riley branded items such as this Billiards Scoreboard still to be found, including many still being used in Snooker halls and clubs.

Billiards as a game has been largely superseded by Snooker (and latterly Pool), but has never entirely disappeared at the amateur level. It's perhaps hard to fully appreciate how good a game of Billiards can be in skilled hands, given that only three balls are used on such a large table. For a good understanding of how the game is played I would recommend this 30 minute video of an exhibition match on the English Amateur Billiards Association website.

I'm not aware of any pubs in Leicester which still house a full size Billiards Table. This is hardly an unusual situation. In most parts of the country the games of Snooker and Billiards are firmly rooted in the club scene where the space and funds are more readily available to maintain what are often vintage tables.

Snooker in Leicester is played in two divisions of the Leicester & District Institute Snooker League, split between specialist Cue Sports clubs such as Rileys and Willie Thorns, and the larger trades, social and political clubs, including the tables shown below at the Nottingham Oddfellows Club on Belgrave Gate, Leicester.

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.

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. (see update below)

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.

Update (10/01/2022) re. Elston & Hopkin c/o Geoff Large 

Elston & Hopkin never made full size billiard tables, the tables at Boots Social Club before the embankment club name change, where a mixture of E J Riley and John Gent billiard tables and so where the scoreboards but with later Elston & Hopkin badges put on them as a form of advertisement only.

John Gent was a Nottingham billiard table manufacturer based just behind the Palais de Dance on convent street in the late 1880s , he produced tables until around the 1920s when he died, and a young employee called John Elston took the firm over, but mainly for the billiard hall they owned on George street in the lace market. He stopped producing tables when John Gent passed away but you still see some of these Gent tables around the Nottingham area.

Roll on 1931/2 and John Elston had moved from Geroge street billiard hall and offices, into the side of the theatre Royal on Shakespeare street to open up a billiard hall, around this time another Billiard hall owner of 13 billiard halls dotted around Nottinghamshire also had a small billiards firm of one fitter and a few labourers and family running the different halls, that firm was Run by John Stuart Hopkin, in 1938 Elston joined up with J S Hopkin to form Elston & Hopkin, but they never made tables, they just maintained them and ran a spares and accessories shop at Shakespeare street and had a ran billiard halls around Nottinghamshire.

I worked for Elston and Hokpin from 1980 having worked for another firm from 1976, in 2004 Elston & Hopkin where sold to the Lincolnshire firm of Universal Logic, the owner was Ted Roberts who passed away in 2012, I worked for Ted for 7 years, Eslton & Hopkin ceased to trade around 2012 / 13.

I started up GCL Billiards in 2012 having been a time served billiards fitter since 1976, I am now 67 years old and probably the last remaining fitter from the firm of Elston & Hopkin still working full time. Three spin off firms from Elston and Hopkin are GCL Billiards run by myself Geoff Large, Direct Snooker run by Roger Perchynski, and Anthony & Pykett run by Brian Anthony. An older firm spin off was Belvoir Billiards run by Mick Robb my mentor who I served under for 4 years before I joined Eslton & hopkin. John Hopkin the Grandson of the original owner of J S Hopkin billiards of Hyson Green is still alive and in his 90's and lives in Wollaton.