As Thomas Hughes famously wrote in his 1857 novel, Tom Brown’s Schooldays, ‘Life isn’t all beer and skittles; but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman’s education’
Of all the traditional English games skittles must be the doyenne – or at least up there with the very oldest. The Victorians took to it big time; it was easy to play, anywhere, any time and relatively cheap to produce. These men are playing on Chelsea Bridge (it was closed for an event) and they
have attracted the attention of every school boy in sight.
The thing is, antique and vintage skittles are rather lovely objects in themselves and I certainly would not say no to owning a set. The dumpy solid oak set above have stood a lifetime of bashing but still have a certain robust charm.
A spot or rather, in this case, a stripe, of paint can add Gallic je ne sais quoi.
Otherwise, an elegant shape can make the most of unadorned wood.
Painted colour and shapely form together makes for a plethora of possibilities: soldiers;
couples;
birds (not sure what kind);
operatic!! – these were made in 1885 the same year the show The Mikado was staged.
Manufacturers didn’t restrict their materials either. Perched happily on top of wooden platforms, this rooster and his harem of eight colourful hens are waiting for someone to throw the cheese and hit a floorer. Yes, there’s a whole terminology behind the game and it’s played with several variations. In Old English skittles, players throw a rounded piece of heavy wood called a cheese to knock over pins at the end of an alley. In other versions, players roll a small ball to knock over the pins. The famous German Steiff company produced skittles sets featuring felt animals from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Their vintage stuffed animals are fetching a fortune so there’s a good chance these will too.
And the Germans were also keen on making these papier mache sets.
If you happen to see a set – snap it up and start a collection.
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