We have previously looked at the old but interesting game of Bagatelle which continues to be played today in the UK.

Bagatelle was without doubt the precursor of the game that became known as Bar Billiards. However the link as ever remains shrouded in mystery. What we can be certain of is that a certain Mr Gill was fortunate enough to watch a game of Russian Billiards being played in Belgium. Inspired by what he saw he came back to the UK and made contact with a company called Jelkes.

Interestingly Jelkes had finished trading and were convinced to start up again in order to manufacture a new product that was to become Bar Billiards. The beauty of these tables was that they very compact and required little cueing space. Clearly this was a huge attribute for Pubs that were able to offer a form of entertainment in a small space.

Once the popularity of the product became established other manufacturers got involved. One of the most successful of these was ‘Sams Brothers’ that became known as ‘Sams Atlas’ tables. This company were eventually purchased by a third party ‘Greys of Cambridge’ which subsequently went out of business.

Let us go back to the first recorded Bar Billiards league which was started in the University City of Oxford. The spread of interest in the south of England was mirrored by the emergence of leagues in Canterbury , Reading and High Wycombe. The emergence of the game pre-war inevitably led to the game becoming more organised and was administered by the ‘National Bar Billiards Association’

Understandably the War years concentrated peoples minds on far graver matters. However post war a new organisation grew up called ‘The All England Bar Billiards Association’.

This is in itself a little deceiving as the game has always had its roots in the south of the country. ‘The Canterbury cup’ which was retained from the pre-war league was adopted as the new trophy which has been competed for since 1947.

One of the hardcore areas for this game has always been on the beautiful channel island of Jersey. The game differs somewhat from the mainland but the love of the game continues to this day. Indeed the game was first played in 1933 and continues to thrive today.

The tables are slightly different due in part to the favoured manufacturer being the very well respected ‘Burroughes and Watts’ (fabulous snooker tables too). These tables are slightly larger in format and in Jersey all shots must be played from the same spot whereas in the UK the cueball may be moved within a small ‘D’.

Life would be very boring if there was no variety to it and Bar Billiards is no exception. On some tables there are 4 skittles as opposed to the standard three skittles. These skittles are designed to look like mushrooms so that they will not fall into the holes. Both the Jersey and All England Bar Billiards Assocaition agree that there should be three skittles one black and two white to guard the pockets.

The game is timed and usually appears to be 50p per fifteen minutes which brings it into line with similar charges for Pool tables. Lets not forget the landlord of the pub has to make a living as well !

The playing of the game is in itself very simple. The players must accumulate points by striking the balls , seven of which are white and one is red. The balls have to be hit into a hole to score. There are nine holes on the table all of which have differing values. The values are based upon the difficulty of the shot required to pot the ball and can be anything between 10 to 200 points. Once a ball is potted it falls through a hole and then comes back to the drawer at the front of the table for further use.

It sounds simple but it certainly isn’t as the big point pockets are guarded by the skittles making the scoring of points very difficult. If you foolishly knock over a white skittle you lose all the points you accumulated during the break. The total calamity comes when you knock over the black skittle and lose your entire score.

However the best is still to come as when the bar drops and the balls are retained in the table , the remaining balls in play have to be potted to conclude the scoring. Thus you get to the point where only one ball remains in play. This ball can only be potted into the 200 pocket which is impossible without coming off a side cushion. The twist being that if you knock over the Black skittle guarding the pocket you lose your total score. A great finishing play to an absorbing game.

The game is played widely throughout Europe but with differing rules and differing table designs. A truly great game that has been overshadowed by the growth in popularity of Pool.

However if you are interested in learning more about this wonderful game or indeed playing it competitively then look at the following websites.

www.lewesbarbilliards.org.uk  Lewes league

www.barbilliardsdd.co.uk Dover & Deal league

www.studio18.co.uk/jbb Jersey League  ***** Site

www.cbbl-medway.co.uk City league

I am also aware that the splendid Newshouse pub in Nottingham has an antique Jelkes Bar Billiards table in its bar. Its a ‘Tynemill’ pub so the beer is great as well. I also believe that a table may soon appear in a village on the edge of Chesterfield. If it does I will confirm the details so you can be the one of the first to play .

We buy , rent and sell these tables so please make contact if you have one available or you wish to acquire one. The domestic market is very strong as they are very compact.

We will examine the competitive side of this game in the future and detail some extraordinary scoring feats.

  We regularly receive part exchanged tables that are nice items but not neccessarily in line with our normal stock. This photo was sent in from a customer who took delivery of a modern ‘George Stone’ manufactured table. The table was very attractive to the eye. The legs probably being the most attractive feature.  If you are looking for a table at a sensible price please enquire as our stock changes on a very regular basis. Its important to note that all tables will be recovered in 6811 Tournament cloth and be supplied with Aramith quality balls.

 Bar Billiards is one of the most underated games in cuesports. It deserves far better coverage and a wider acknowledgement of its merits.

I first came across this game whilst a schoolboy in the 1970’s where I got the opportunity to play in a pub in the lovely village of Great Bentley in Essex whilst my father had a few beers. The game has fascinated me ever since.

Its widely thought that the game started in the 1930’s but in truth the lineage of the game goes back much further. It was undoubtedly derived and developed from Bagatelle.

The history of Bagatelle is shrouded in mystery and no one is quite sure how it developed. However it is suggested that the origins of the game probably were created in France. What we can be sure of is that betwen the period of 1770 - 1850 Bagatelle was equally as popular a pastime as Billiards.

The famous manufacturer John Thurston recorded that he manufactured significant numbers of Bagatelle tables between the years of 1818 to 1845. A sales brochure he produced for the French market actually describes the tables as “Billiards Anglaise” which adds further to the uncertainty about the game. It is possible that  the French angle is completely inaccurate and the game was developed here - who knows ?

Just to prove that bureaucracy was alive and well in those far off days , the game was deemed offensive enough by the government for it to be included in its Gaming Act legislation. It was decreed that there should be “no play on a public Billiard table or Bagatelle table from 1am to 8am and on Sundays , Christmas Day and Good Friday”.

However banning anything only leads to its increased popularity and by Victorian times the game had become immensely popular leading to significant numbers of tables being manufactured for the home. The tables were slightly smaller than their counterparts in Pubs and often folded, but the quality of manufacture was very good indeed.

You can occasionally find Bagatelle tables for sale on Ebay and they are becoming increasingly rare. They make a very nice addition to any collection of Billiards memorabilia.

The popularity of Bagatelle in commerical outlets has fallen but it was known that it was regularly played in the 1970’s in Bristol and Walsall and was a thriving game at that time in Coventry and Chester. At the time of the millenium it was known that play still occurred in North Wales , Liverpool , Coventry and Bristol.

The game as played in the North of England differs somewhat from the game played elsewhere. The game starts with a black ball spotted in front of the nine holes. Eight white balls are then struck in succession by a player in an effort to get the balls to fall into the holes with the restriction that the ball being played must cannon off another ball before falling into a hole. The black ball scores double points so the aim is normally to try to roll the black ball into the the central nine point hole.

In the South of England the tables tend to be longer - sometimes upto 10 feet long and feature two side pockets about three quarters of the way up on each side. The game is played in a similar fachion , but instead of one black ball , two reds are used instead.

We have recovered a Bagatelle table a few years ago at the Leicester Oddfellows club and we believe the game is still played there regularly. I am also aware that the game continues to be played in Chester in fact the game is slowly expanding in the city again as on their excellent league website it details that a further 6 pubs are looking for tables.

Its really important to keep these games going and I would urge anyone especially in pubs to look at keeping their customers entertained by these different and interesting games.

Please have a look at the excellent www.chesterbagatelle.co.uk website 

More about the wonderful Bar Billiards game - very soon !

We are delighted to announce that we will have a Trade stand at this years forthcoming Lincolnshire Show. The show itself is one of the biggest county shows in the country and takes place midweek over two days.

It is anticipated that a crowd in excess of 70,000 people will attend the show and the best products in Lincolnshire are always on display.

We are increasingly looking at ways to let customers and potential customers further opportunities to view our products and meet the team of people that provide our excellent range of services. To this end we will be demonstrating some of the techniques involved in the restoration of Snooker Tables and allow you the opportunity to ask any questions face to face about the purchase of a new table.

However if you just fancy a game of pool come along and we will see if you can beat us !

There have been many stories relating the problems losing a favourite cue can have on an individuals game. If you are not the same player when having to use a cue other than your own , don’t despair you are not on your own !

Alex Higgins spent the majority of his career looking for the ideal cue. However  whatever cue he managed to acquire was usually subject to an amount of tinkering to try and perfect it.

Steven Hendry once had a cue stolen whilst playing at a  tournament , he was so dependent on this cue that he offered a huge reward for its return. The cue was duly returned and he went on to win many more titles and produced a number of 147 breaks. What would have happened if it had been lost for good ?

John Spencer played snooker at his local club and became used to using a specific cue. John like many others had to complete his national service and went away for a couple of years. During this period his local club went out of business and was closed. He was determined to find his favourite cue and organised a keyholder to get him into the closed premises.  The cue was eventually found in the cellar floating in stale smelling water. The cue was taken home by John and he used it to win two of his three World Championships. Its interesting to note that the cue was damaged badly in a car accident and he never produced his previous form again.

If you are looking for a special cue look at our Peradon range of cues and find a friend for life !