Bridge Inn, Worcester

The Bridge Inn c.1972

In the four years I've been writing this blog, one thing has become increasingly, indeed sometimes painfully apparent. Whenever I get the chance to return to a pub, perhaps one that I've featured for a particularly rare or unusual traditional pub game, all too often I find there's been a change of licensee or owner, sometimes an all-encompassing refurbishment, and often little or no sign of the traditional games that attracted me in the first place. That's assuming that the pub is still open of course..

One of the reasons I started documenting these games and pubs in the first place was the current and continuing turbulence in the licensed trade. I wanted to highlight what is often an under-promoted and largely unappreciated aspect of pub-going, but also provide a snapshot of where we are now, a lasting record of what continues to be lost on an almost daily basis.

Whilst I understand that pubs have always had to change and adapt to the market, and the priority should always be to keep pubs open wherever possible, and however that might be achieved, it still saddens me when I arrive at a pub and find the skittle alley closed, the Dartboard removed, the pub re-invented for a different, often less inclusive clientele where the age-old traditions of social game play are no longer part of the business model.

Just occasionally though, I find that the opposite is true, as is the case at the Bridge Inn, an historic pub close to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Lowesmoor in Worcester. I featured the Bridge in a blog post on Worcester Skittles not more than 18 months ago, photographing the sadly neglected skittle alley as a kind of final record, given that everyone I spoke to that day claimed the pub was closing for good and the alley likely to be demolished. I'm delighted to say that the predicted demise the pub and its skittle alley has proved to be premature.

Around a year after I first visited, the Bridge Inn reopened under new, enthusiastic ownership, and has quickly re-established itself as the locals pub it's always been. The pub was in a pretty poor state of repair when I visited last year, a handful of locals polishing off the beer ahead of a final closing party scheduled for that evening. The main bar area was all dark wood and tatty furnishings, not at all inviting it must be said, but even then I could see there was an attractive pub waiting to be rediscovered underneath the years of neglect. It's this bright and attractive space that the current licensees have revealed following an extensive refurbishment (above). An historic pub on the verge of being lost forever is now spruced-up and fit for purpose again.

The separate Skittle Alley (above) at the rear of the pub had fallen into disuse and disrepair under the previous tenants (left), littered with equipment from band practices and parties. The alley surface has now been fully restored to the standard required for league matches, though like most alleys of this type it will still be used for functions from time to time. Sadly the unique 'House Champions' wall plaque that decorated the end of the alley (see previous post) had gone missing before the current licensees arrived.

Two men's and a ladies team are now playing from the pub, and it's hoped that more teams will eventually follow from one or other of the Worcester leagues now that the pub is in safe hands and its future secured.

The unique indoor version of Quoits shown above would have been quite common in the Worcester area at one time, but has now almost entirely disappeared from its pubs. Nearby Evesham was a real hotbed of the game and an active Quoits league still exists over the border in Hereford, so it's probably safe to say that Worcester would have been at the very heart of a Quoiting tradition which covered most of the West Midlands and Welsh Border area. But if the distinctive boards still exist in pubs hereabouts they're not on show, and competitive play of any kind has long since ceased. Which makes the board shown above at the Bridge Inn something of a rarity, and probably the only one of its kind that can be played in a Worcester pub (correction: I forgot about the board at the Brunswick in St Johns). The Board, which originally belonged to a Bridge Inn local, gets regular use for afternoon friendlies.

Games and sport are at the very heart of the revived Bridge Inn, with Pool and Darts teams back again, Poker evenings, and a trusty Shut The Box available to play from behind the bar.

Station Hotel, Hucknall, Nottingham

If we look at the ever-changing face of the great British pub, there's one aspect that might be considered something of a constant (alongside the beer of course!). The most successful pubs are the ones that have always adapted to suit the changing needs of their customers, often closely reflecting the social trends and fashions of the time. A notable example of this is the way that pubs have adapted to service the prevailing modes of transport. The famous coaching inns which served the needs of travellers and the early postal system eventually gave way to a network of railway and station hotels, which in their turn were largely superseded by the 20th century roadhouses that sprang up to accommodate the new trend of motoring.

Despite this and the massive contraction of the rail network in the 1960's, many of the pubs and hotels associated with the railways have survived, even where the associated station is long gone (the Railway remains in the top 10 of British pub names). Sadly, the neglect and decline of the rail network in the latter part of the 20th century has often been mirrored in the abject condition of these once thriving hostelries.

More recently, station bars, refreshment rooms, and other railway pubs have been reappraised by enthusiastic pub operators. Neglected for years, these pubs which are often quite grand affairs, are being lovingly refurbished and re-established as important refreshment stops for both passengers and locals, often with a firm focus on the current trend for real ale and craft beer. There have even been a few micropubs established at rail stations. The pub adapting and changing once again for modern needs.

The Station Hotel featured here is one of the most recent examples of this, a neglected pub in the very heart of Hucknall town which has been comprehensively refurbished and reopened by the local Lincoln Green Brewery as their flagship taphouse.

The team at Lincoln Green can see the potential of a pub like the Station Hotel where previous operators have clearly failed, served as it is by both the nearby rail station and the excellent Nottingham Tram network. They also appreciate the undoubted heritage of a pub like this, a genuine Victorian hotel which thankfully retains a multi-room layout that includes a large function room and several letting rooms. A proper locals pub, and with the excellent range of beers on offer a true destination pub too.

In addition to the pubs separate public bar and lounge, the Station Hotel features a games room equipped with one of the most traditional of all pub games. Anthony Hughes is the owner of Lincoln Green Brewery, and the driving force behind great pubs like this and the Robin Hood (and) Little John in Arnold, another revitalised pub which has already featured on this blog. He's also a born and bred Northamptonshire man, and recalls playing Table Skittles as a lad in his fathers village local. The games room at the Station Hotel presented the perfect opportunity to fulfil a dream and install the local Northamptonshire game in one of his own pubs.

The table is a vintage 1950's W T Black & Sons model, originally from the closed Royal British Legion Club in Hillmorton, Rugby. Skittles tables like this can be found throughout Northamptonshire and the surrounding counties, but I've found no evidence for the game in the counties of Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire. Long Alley and the associated indoor game of Devil Amongst The Tailors are local to the Nottingham area, so this table is unusual, quite probably unique to the county, although they do pop up in unusual places in private hands. The boxwood pins and cheeses are kept behind the bar if you fancy a game.

In addition to the pubs skittles table, the games room is equipped with a very good Mahogany Shove Ha'penny Board, as well as a couple of Pin Bagatelles, Cards, Dominoes, and a selection of good old Cribbage Boards. The pubs original Skittle Alley is currently out of action and in need of extensive renovation, but may come back into use at some point in the future. Since the closure of the Seven Stars, there are no active pub skittle alleys in Hucknall.

The Lounge Bar (below) has a lovely old piano, and like it's sister pub in Arnold, piano singalongs are planned. There really is no excuse for twiddling your thumbs in the revived Station Hotel!

A Compendium of Pub Games Images - Pt.28

It's perhaps hard for us to imagine just how popular games would have been to pub-goers in the early to mid 20th century. Pub games, alongside singing and performing, and the more prosaic pastimes of drinking and chat, were the cornerstones of what going to your local was all about, and practically all the games associated with the pub were played enthusiastically and competitively by men, and latterly women, in hundreds of local leagues.

A measure of just how widespread this games play was can be gauged by the profuse evidence for leagues which existed throughout the country for everything from Bagatelle to Shove Ha'penny. Almost all of these leagues have now declined or disappeared entirely, with only skittles, Darts, and Pool played at levels which approach their former glory. Brewers and other businesses associated with the pub trade were quick to see the benefits of sponsoring leagues, a symbiotic relationship which continued largely unchanged until the creation of pubcos in the wake of the 1989 Beer Orders, which had the effect of severing the direct relationship most pubs had with their drinks suppliers.

All the skittles medals shown here were for leagues which no longer exist, and sponsored by breweries which are now defunct. Georges' Brewery were based in Bristol, and sponsored an alley skittles league from around the time that this medal was awarded for the knockout competition in 1935. Georges was acquired by Courage in 1961, and the Bath Street brewery closed in 1999.

It's from this era around the war years that most of these silver (sometimes gold) medals date. Post-war austerity led to cheaper, sometimes more practical prizes such as the folding travel clock shown here for the Watney Mann sponsored Northampton (Table) Skittles League. Taunton Brewers Skittles League is still active in Somerset, though no longer sponsored by its namesake.

The Balmoral is a pub that's pretty hard to miss, even amongst the gaudy delights of Leicesters 'Golden Mile'. One of only two pubs on this stretch of Belgrave Gate, it's likely that the Balmoral will not be to everyones taste. It does seem to be a bit of a male preserve for example! But with a recent planning application accepted to develop the pub as a restaurant, it's days as Leicesters last proper Indian locals pub may well be numbered.

As it stands now, the Public Bar would certainly benefit from a sensitive refurbishment, but nevertheless it's a remarkable survivor. The lounge has seen alterations, including the blocking off of the original door from the front lobby, but the public bar is little changed since the pub was built by Ansells Brewery in the 1920's. The bar has a well-used Pool Table and original tables suitable for cards/dominoes, but the biggest gaming interest at the pub these days is when the Indian national cricket team are in action.

Despite Cirencester giving its name to the local skittles league, tracking down a pub with an alley in the upmarket town centre proved difficult when I visited the town recently. The alley at The Wheatsheaf is probably the only one that remains in the very centre of town, and as a consequence it's often busy with league play. A modest Cotswold stone frontage conceals quite a sizeable pub, and a large function room to the rear which also houses the skittle alley.

Two rare and unusual pub games have been squeezed into Worcesters first micropub the Bull Baiters Inn in the suburb of St Johns. Ring The Bull is regarded as being the oldest of all pub games, with perhaps the most famous example at the Old Trip To Jerusalem in Nottigham, one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest in the country. Fittingly, the example at the Bull Baiters is a full bulls head figure, with a choice of two horns to ring.

Below this is a traditional Rings Board, a game that was once reasonably popular and widespread but now confined almost exclusively to parts of Ireland and the Isle of Wight. The presence of these two games should come as no surprise given that the pub is run by the licensee of the nearby Brunswick Arms, a noted collector and enthusiast of traditional pub game.

Cards, Dominoes and Cribbage Boards for scoring are also available at the bar of the Bull Baiters.

In an attractive Dorset town like Sherborne, it comes as no surprise that most of the pubs have adapted to service the tourist trade, majoring on food for the most part. For more basic beery needs and a more traditional 'pubby' experience, I was directed to the Digby Tap, a backstreet boozer close to the impressive Abbey.

The Digby is a multi-room pub, relatively unspoilt, and regarded as 'the' beer venue in Sherborne by those in the know. A quiet retreat on a weekday afternoon, though I understand the Digby can get quite busy in the evening s and at weekends. There's a Pool Table tucked away from the main seating areas, but I preferred to roll the dice and attempt to Shut The Box with my local pint.