Who remembers playing Bar Billiards?

photo: source unknown

Alan Esdaile… remember playing this in The Provincial Hotel Havelock Road.

Colin Fox… Many times in the Crown Eastbourne

Martin Richter… what a game ! sadly missed

Reg Wood… At the Langham

Joe Knight… Use to be one in the Wheatsheath pub in Bohemia Rd

Jan Warren… Also remember “shove ha’penny” in the pub too!

Jim Breeds… Very popular in the Jenny Lind in the 1970s. Then the landlord (Ron French) swapped it for a pool table. Not the same fun!

Mike Mitchell… Used to play in The Oddfellows Arms..

Maz Marriott… My husband still plays in the league for the Jenny

Michael Wilson… The Fountain St Leonards.

David Edwards… Used to love bar billiards tho’ very few pubs have them now. But I believe the Jenny has one.

Sandy Max… Still play in the Nags Head! I think they got their table from the Fox when it closed. Much more skilful than the ubiquitous American Pool played in most pubs. I believe there may still be a Bar Billiards league?

Pete Prescott… Used to play this a lot ! Great game !

Pauline Richards… Yes. My grandparents used to own the Langham pub and my grandfather used to let me play for free.

Ian Mantel…I used to play at The Princes, now Pissarro’s. The table was in the corner where they now put the drummer on a Friday/Saturday night

Samuel Freeman… Played there good table

Geoff Peckham… What was the little corner pub that was just behind the Nelson? The Crown? When the Nelson got intolerably busy, I used to pop in there with a mate and have quiet game of bar billiards. Very civilised! I loved the game. When, later, I lived in West Sussex, I was in a pub team, the Rising Sun in Nutbourne. A great way to visit old country pubs.

Mark Praid… Yes Kings Head off Lyle street Chinatown during the late seventies.

Spencer Dormer… Even the Beaconsfield had one in late 80s for a brief period when I lived there as a kid Also the Manor pub had one during the 90s for deffo!

John Austin… I remember that well Spencer I was crap at it lol

Jolly Orange… I’ve still got one in my lounge… Gets regular use

Clifford Rose… used to play it in the saloon bar of the Royal George. Every table had a piece of dust at the side cushion. You would aim for this marker and your final ball would drop down the top hole without touching the black peg.

Dave Nattress… In Bexhill we played it in the (old) Castle in Town Hall Square – since renamed a couple of times, in the back room where the Juke Box was.  Played many times. Great game and because most of us back-room boys were long haired quite scruffy weekend hippies and the bikers used to come in also, we were left alone by the straighter customers who used the adjacent lounge bar.  The inmates of the “animal bar”, being the small public bar, didn’t tend to use the backroom much either.  The animal bar was for serious drinkers only.

Yvonne Cleland… Aaaah The Castle! Such a splendid pub! Still remember those lovely orange plastic seats in the back bar! I don’t like the look of it these days…

Alan Pepper… Yes I remember the Hollington Oak had a Bar Billiards table in the 70’s  And a shove penny board . I was much better on that. I think that’s because my dad was a champ and had many medals  . It’s in the blood !?

Eddy Janard… I believe there are two differing regional versions of this game. With the pins standing on the far side of the holes ( I think the Berkshire one is different to that in the photo.)

Wendy Weaver… Hastings used to have a Bar Billiard League – Graham used to play in it for The Ashburnham pre 1984. Kim from St Marys Club was Womens UK Champion well into the 90s I think.

Jim Breeds… Is there still a pub darts league? I was in the Jenny Lind team in the 70s.

Martyn Baker… I played this in The Angel, on West Hill, from the age of 12. Don’t ask!

Glenn Piper… I used to play this in The Nelson when I was 14, like young Martyn, don’t ask

Nick Speight… There is still a league in Hastings, with teams at The Jenny, The Ashburnham, The Old King John and the Nags Head.

Dennis Torrance… The black peg how many knocked it down right at the end of the game

Alan Esdaile… me!

Peter Wheeler… I used to play at the Bo-Peep, The Bull in Bexhill Road (I still have the tie ! ) and many pubs in Hastings and Bexhill during the late 50’s and early 60’s until I got married ! I even got to the Individual Match Final once and lost.

Fiona Evans… I used to work at the Bo-Peep !

Willie Wicking… Great game

Sean Taylor… Played this once or twice

Paul Richardson… Yes! Loved this, played it lots when growing up in Margate and Canterbury….we lived in pubs at the time.

Jane Hartley… The Langham

Peter Fortsch… Love the game. Should bring it back to the pubs…… well if pubs ever open again?

Alan Wood… New eight bells Robertsbridge

Tony Court-holmes… jenny lind still has a table

Eric Burgess… Great pub game. Used to play it every week! Haven’t seen a table for years.

Andy Davies… In the Jenny Lind a long long time ago

Steve Thorpe… Played in the Fox on the Hill in Camberwell, nearly always knocked over the black peg at the end.

David Edwards… Great game used to play in the Norman Arms

Russell Field… Love it.

Simon Fraser…Used to play every lunch time in the 70 80is at the red lion at Hythe. Went to school with Peter Wheeler.

Keith Veness… Great game

Spencer Dormer… The Manor pub had a table in the 90s Great tactical game!

Heather Sidery… I do miss this

Glenn Piper… Loved playing it in the Nelson

Lloyd Johnson… didn’t they have one of these in The Anchor in the 60s. I seemed to remember playing Bar Billiards there.

Wendy Weaver… Graham used to play in the Hastings League for The Ashburnham

Pete Prescott… Loved it !

Paul Crimin… There used to be one in the Nags Head in St Leonards.

Vivienne Gibbs… There used to be one of these in the bar of The Granville Hotel many moons ago

Nick Bloomfield… Played at the William The Conqueror in Rye Harbour. I was rubbish…

Mike Waghorne… Played it many a time in my local pub in the 70’s

Brian Scales… Used to play in the Palace pub

Graham Sherrington… The Stag had one for years then it was gone what a shame. Pubs have changed so much since I have been away.

Ray Norton… The Hastings league is still active but short of players, 4 pubs now have tables, Jenny Lind, Old King John, Ashburnham and The Stag. https://www.hastingsbarbilliards.co.uk

Pauline Richards… My grandad showed me how to get my hand up the right channel to release the balls for free.!

Pete Prescott… Good times!

David Edwards… Used to play bar billiards in The Norman lunchtimes when I went to college as a day release apprentice in the mid 60s

Tony Court-holmes… lots of times Hastings had about 4 leagues at one time. The late Bob Hill, best player i ever saw

 

5 thoughts on “Who remembers playing Bar Billiards?”

  1. Yes I remember the Hollington Oak had a Bar Billiards table in the 70’s And a shove penny board . I was much better on that. I think that’s because my dad was a champ and had many medals . It’s in the blood !?

    Reply
  2. In Bexhill we played it in the (old) Castle in Town Hall Square – since renamed a couple of times, in the back room where the Juke Box was. Played many times. Great game and because most of us back-room boys were long haired quite scruffy weekend hippies and the bikers used to come in also, we were left alone by the straighter customers who used the adjacent lounge bar. The inmates of the “animal bar”, being the small public bar, didn’t tend to use the backroom much either. The animal bar was for serious drinkers only.

    Reply
  3. I used to play at the Bo-Peep, The Bull in Bexhill Road (I still have the tie ! ) and many pubs in Hastings and Bexhill.during the late 50’s and early 60’s until I got married ! I even got to the Individual Match Final once, and lost.

    Reply

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