Prince of Wales Feathers, Castor, Peterborough

The Prince of Wales Feathers is a pub much altered over the years. The current layout incorporates what was once a small shop and an adjacent cottage, presumably the expansion was to take advantage of the huge increase in traffic on the original Leicester - Peterborough road in the years before the village was eventually bypassed in the early 90's. The village may well be much quieter now, but the pub is still a thriving local where all of the more recent changes have been positive.

The licensees are clearly pub and beer enthusiasts, offering a wide range of ales, including those from the village Castor Ales brewery. This is a firmly traditional community local, where traditional and not so traditional games play an important role.

League Pool and Darts are played, and a wide selection of Crib Boards suggest Dominoes and Cards are also popular at the pub. More unusual games which can be played are a fearsome looking Ring The Bull, and a handsome old Shove Ha'penny Board.

 

The Shove Ha'penny is an old, high quality board, made from a solid chunk of polished Mahogany with what looks like Boxwood and Ebony inlay. The scoring is quite hi-tech (for a Shove Ha'penny!), featuring rows of brass rotary knobs and inset wooden drums marked 1-3 rather than the usual chalked system. This would have been a relatively expensive board when new.

 

http://www.princeofwalesfeathers.co.uk/