Two More Shove Ha'pennys

This Shove Ha'penny Board was purchased recently in Wisbech, and was in a fairly neglected state, though still perfectly playable. The surface of the board was thinly varnished, a finish I don't find lends itself to the smooth slide of a coin. A little time with a bottle of varnish stripper and a some fine sandpaper has got the surface back to the wood. It's now been waxed and polished, and though not the finest of boards, it now has a pretty smooth playing surface.

This image shows that the board has been constructed from plywood as opposed to solid timber. Unfortunately, there has been some water damage to a section of the leading edge, causing the ply to discolour and lift a little. Nothing a bit of wood glue and a g-clamp won't put right though.

Glevum Games were based in Gloucester from 1894 until their takeover and closure by Chad Valley in the late 1950's. The company were best known for their family and childrens games, but also made two sizes of Oak Shove Ha'penny, as well as this cheaper plywood board. This board is likely to be a post-war model.

This nice old board at the Bustard Inn, South Rauceby in Lincs, shows another way of making a Shove Ha'penny from cheaper cuts of timber. The body of the board has been made from a row of battens, with a laminate sheet for the playing surface. The Bustard has several old games which are available for play on Saturday afternoons, and I hope to feature a few of them on here at a later date.

The Shambles, Lutterworth, Leicestershire

One area of Leics/Northants Table Skittles play that appears to be truly thriving in these difficult times for pubs, is the Ladies game in South Leicestershire. Just take a look at the fixture list below, which shows only one of the four divisions in the Dunton Bassett Summer League. I know most of these pubs well from my days living in the Narborough area, and they're all good solid locals, some of which I'd assumed had fallen by the wayside in recent years, so it's great to see them still going strong.

On the late afternoon I popped into Lutterworth, my favourite back-street boozer, the Unicorn, was rammed with drinkers. Too busy in fact for photography, which can only be a good thing. The Unicorn even has a spare table propped up in the back, the game must be quite popular here.

The Shambles is located on the other side of the busy main road. A tidy pub with a good sized games area featuring Dart, Pool, and a well polished Skittles Table. The pins and cheeses are the plastic variety which seem to be favoured in this area, the latter embossed with the pub name and also the name of Colin Swinfen, a renovator and builder of skittles tables (and presumably handy with a cheese himself) in nearby South Kilworth.

The Railway Inn, Oakham, Rutland

Oakham is a town blessed with a pretty decent variety of pubs and bars. My favourites include the Grainstore and White Lion for their wide range of interesting ales, and the recently opened Lord Nelson for a more upmarket food and beer experience. If it's an unpretentious locals pub I'm after, and I usually am, I often end up in the comfort of the Railway Inn, a stones throw from the rail station itself. What sets pubs like the Railway apart from some other town centre boozers, is the effort which the owners put in to keep the pub in good order, and the bar ticking over with a loyal local trade. Functions, live music, televised sport, and the familiar pub games of Pool and Darts are the bedrock of pubs like the Railway.

Dominoes and cards are also played at the pub, with several green felt table toppers dotted around the bar for the purpose. One curiosity of pub gaming, and the only one I've come across in the area outside of Stamford, is a well-worn Shove Ha'penny, a Jaques of London board, sadly little used these days. A collection of old Ha'pennies are kept behind the bar for the asking, though they could do with a bit of a polish to be honest. It's a nice board in a nice pub, in need of a little more use I'd say.

The Grainstore has a well used Darts Board, though like the Railway and White Lion, it's use is confined to the pubs own competition as no league is currently in operation in the town.

A Miscellany of Pub Game Images - Pt.2

Since the restoration of the building in the mid 90's, The Tobie Norris in Stamford has quickly established itself as a must-visit for pub goers when in the area. The interior has been lovingly refurbished, and consists of a number of highly distinctive rooms in a truly historic building. The pub has also has gained quite a reputation for its beer range and food, particularly the pizzas. What it perhaps doesn't have a reputation for is active Darts, Dominoes, and Cribbage teams, it's just not that kind of pub I'm afraid. However, it's not a completely game free zone. In the cosy snug with it's high backed settle and wood-burner, you'll find cards, Poker Dice, and a nice modern Shut The Box to while away the afternoon with.

When I bought these Dominoes they were described as being made of Ivory and Ebony. I've no doubt that such dominoes exist, but I'd imagine they would have been a bit older, and also  fair bit more expensive than these were. In fact these are made of Ox Bone and Ebony, with a central brass pin to hold the two pieces together. This pin also serves to give each tile a small raised knob (or Spinner) which would help ease shuffling on a rough wooden or felt table. These are the third set of old Dominoes I've had, both previous sets were more modern plastic or resin 'Club' tiles, and both have subsequently been lost. I'll be more careful with this set which are very tactile and a real pleasure to play with.



These racks for the safe storage of Pool Cues is a clear indication of how popular the game is at the Jolly Brewer, Stamford. All of these Cues are privately owned, most seeing regular action in League matches.

A recently purchased Shove Ha'penny Board being examined in an Elgoods Brewery pub in Wisbech. This board is a commercial model, perhaps 50-60 years old, and made by Glevum Games of Gloucester. It's quite a cheap model, made from plywood and in need of some polishing up. I'll post a few more detailed images of this board when it's been cleaned up and restored a little.

Another Shove Ha'penny in use during an afternoon session at The George, Ashley in Northamptonshire. The George previously housed a Northamptonshire Skittles Table (the brass marker indicating where you would have thrown from is still in situ on the tile floor), and still plays host to Dominoes and League Darts.

Table Skittles - The Leicester Game

The cut, thrust, and high quality barracking of a league Table Skittles match at Birstall, Leicestershire. Videos c/o the Leicester Table Skittles website: http://www.tableskittles.co.uk/

The Queen Adelaide, Kingsthorpe, Northampton

There is little doubt that most pub games are not nearly as popular as they would have been in the days when pubs themselves were enjoying a peak of popularity. The decline of traditional pub games has been attributed to many factors, but it's perhaps the current decline in pub going itself, and particularly the community locals where these games have traditionally thrived, which is the main reason that fewer people are participating these days. 
The chance are, if you can find a community or village local which is still thriving, and thankfully there are still a few, there's a very good chance you'll find games being played, often with teams represented in a local league. Conversely, there are many pubs which rely for their success on regular team fixtures throughout the week.

A league or friendly game of Northamptonshire Table Skittles will usually guarantees a pub a minimum of fourteen people (seven per team), supping drinks in their bar for several hours on what may otherwise be a quiet weekday evening. If the pub can generate enough interest to field both 'A' and 'B' teams, that ensures a home fixture every week during the season. That could be the difference between a pub struggling, or making ends meet.

On the evening I visited the Queen Adelaide in Kingsthorpe, the Ladies team were just about to start a game on the beautifully maintained Black & Son skittle table. The cosy skittles area adjacent to the bar was packed with the two teams and associated friends and spectators. It's always a pleasure to walk into a pub with a lively pub game in progress, because it's always a pleasure to walk into a busy pub.

I'd like to thank the Ladies of the Queen Adelaide skittles team for allowing me to interrupt their practise ahead of the game. Sadly they were a camera shy lot, and needless to say it would have been an absolute no-no to take pictures during the match itself so no action shots were taken.

Devil Amongst The Tailors

I've featured a few Devil Amongst The Tailors tables on here already, though to be honest they've all been fairly insubstantial affairs, more toy than game. The table shown here is a modern, full size one, and as such a delight to play. It's also located in a very good pub, the Jolly Brewer in Stamford, which is also home to a team in the local Pushpenny League as well as the usual Pool, Darts, Cards and Dominoes.

It's only when you get the chance to play on a sturdy board like this that a full appreciation of the skill of the game can be gained. A very fine old table can be played at the Stag Inn, Kimberley in Nottinghamshire, which I hope to photograph (and play) at some point in the near future.