Devil Amongst The Tailors - Some East Midlands Venues

Pegging the scoreboard of a Devil Amongst The Tailors Table in an unknown bar 

Although something of a rarity in pubs these days, and rarer still to come across one in use, the classic ball-on-a-string skittles game of Devil Amongst The Tailors (also known as 'Table Skittles' or 'Bar Skittles') remains strongly associated with the bar and games rooms of the more traditional pubs and clubs. A thoroughly old-fangled game that appears to have changed not-a-bit since it was originally developed as a miniaturised indoor version of alley skittles (possibly in the early 19th century, nobody knows for sure). It's a game that people of a certain age remember with some fondness from their youth, and yet sometimes struggle to remember exactly how it's played (there's a good video here detailing how to play the game).


The Ship Inn, Mevagissey, Cornwall. The Dartboard has survived, but not so the Devil Amongst The Tailors which was important enough in its day to command its own table in the bar.

This form of table skittles would have been very common as a pub game until relatively recently, certainly the equal of Darts, Dominoes, and Card Games in the popularity stakes. My dog-eared 1979 guide to the Real Ale Pubs of Leicestershire & Rutland lists several pubs with a Devil Amongst The Tailors in the city including classic estate pubs like the Royal Leicesters (right), which is perhaps surprising given that Leicester has it's own very different Table Skittles tradition which hardly get a mention in the guide!

There would have been numerous competitive leagues for the game, only a handful of which survive today. Devil Amongst The Tailors was one of the games included on the 'Indoor League' series, the famous Yorkshire Television pub games show presented by cricketing legend Fred Trueman. It even features in a scene from The Beatles film A Hard Days Night in which Ringo disturbs a game in progress at the Turks Head, Twickenham.

The catastrophic decline of this and many other traditional pub games toward the end of the 20th century, means that very fine vintage and antique examples of the game crop up regularly in the trade, some of which I'm happy to say are making their way back into pubs where there is a renewed interest in this and other traditional pub games.


The 'Lads of the Village' at the Rose & Crown, Bradford Abbas, Dorset. More famous for their alley skittles prowess, but clearly they liked the table version as well.

In common with most traditional pub games, it's easy to learn the basics of play on a good quality skittles table, but it certainly rewards more serious practice. I was recently treated to a master-class in the game at a pub in Derbyshire from an elderly gentleman who'd been playing the game for most of his adult life. The skills on show, from all-too-regular 'floorers', to clearing seemingly impossible broken frames was something to behold, and brought home to me just how inexperienced I was as a player of this great game.

It's a game that when set up in the bar ready to go, invites curiosity from groups of all ages, and I like to play Devil Amongst The Tailors whenever I come across a good league-standard table. With this in mind I thought it would be timely to list a few of the more accessible full-size tables in my home region of the East Midlands, in the hope it might encourage wider appreciation of this classic bar-room game.

Derbyshire

Bulls Head (Little Hallam Hill, Ilkeston) - Possibly the last surviving venue for the game in an area that once had a thriving Table Skittles league (Long Alley is still going strong). The table, an old Jacques model (left), is on permanent loan to the pub by a local, and set up ready for play in the right-hand bar. The skittles are kept behind the bar counter.

Leicestershire

Geese & Fountain (Croxton Kerrial) - An award-winning specialist beer pub on the road from Melton to Grantham that has recently acquired an old, handmade skittles table.

Nottinghamshire

Blacks Head (11 Burton Rd, Carlton) - Friendly community local with a good skittles table (right) set up and ready to play in the smaller left-hand bar. There's usually a good crowd of locals on hand to offer advice on the game. The nearby Nags Head (106 Carlton Hill) also has a good table with pins available from the bar.

The Crown (Bathley, Newark) - One of the former venues for the defunct Newark table skittles league. The Crown has an indoor skittle alley, and the handmade table skittles set still see's use in the cosy bar for friendlies and socials.

Old Malt Shovel (25 North Gate, Newark) - Probably your best bet for a game in Newark town centre, which was home to a table skittles league until relatively recently. Try also The Watermill (67 Mill Gate) and Royal Oak (17 Castle Gate), both of which had league skittles tables on my last visit, though whether they are currently set up for play I'm not sure.

Muskham Ferry (North Muskham, Newark) - This popular riverside pub has a very good skittles table (above) in the rear bar room, handmade in the Newark style for league play.

The Newshouse (123 Canal St, Nottingham) - This is our go-to pub for a game when in Nottingham, the table (right) is always set up and ready for play in the right-hand bar-room, just ask at the bar for the pins. Also home to Nottingham's only Bar Billiards table as well as other traditional pub games.

Stag Inn (67 Nottingham Road, Kimberley) - A very fine skittles table takes pride of place in the right-hand bar area.