Music for a Bowling Green

 

Oswestry Advertiser
(Shropshire, England)
27 June 1866

The anniversary of the Llangollen
and Llantysilio Female Friendly Society

                            Will take place on June the 29th, on the Bowling
                            Green, at the Ponsonby Arms, Llangollen,
                            where Tea will be provided. The Denbighshire Brass
                            Band will be in attendance. 

Dancing will commence at half-past Four p.m. 

Admission to Tea and the Green 2s. 

Llangollen, June 11th, 1866. 

North Cheshire Herald
(Hyde, Glossop, and Dukinfield, England)
20 September 1873

Abbey Hey Garden
Near Fairfield Station, Goton.

Open for the Season

DENTON ORIGINAL BRASS BAND 

Every Saturday and Monday, 

WILL PLAY FOR DANCING. 

Bowling Green now Open for the Season. 

Admission, 4D. Each. 

H. Ackroyd, Proprietor. 

________________________

                                                John Ashworth begs to inform his 

                                                friends and the public generally that 

                                                he intends carrying on business on his own 

                                                account in Hyde.  Photography in all 

                                                its branches, including Portraiture, Landscape,

                                                Machinery, &c.  Copies enlarged and finished

                                                in Water or Oil, to the satisfaction of those who 

                                                may favour him with their patronage. 

Falkirk Herald
(Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland)
25 May 1878

CUMBERNAULD. 

                                Opening of the Bowling Green. — The opening 

                                of Cumbernauld Bowling Green took place yesterday 

                                (Friday) under favourable circumstances, the weather 

                                on the whole being fine and turned out great suc-

                                cess.  J. W. Burns, Esq. of Kilmahew and Cumber-

                                nauld, was expected to be present at the opening, but 

                                unfortunately he could not come.  In his absence 

                                the president of the club, Mr. Meikle, factor, in a very 

                                neat and graceful speech, performed the ceremony of 

                                opening the green for the season.  The green being 

                                in fine condition several splendid games were in-

                                dulged in the members present, and during the 

                                afternoon the Camelon Brass Band discoursed some 

                                lively airs, while dancing was kept up with great 

                                spirit until late in the evening. There was a large 

                                gathering on the green at the opening.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald
(Ardrossan, Ayrshire, Scotland)
4 September 1880

BOWLING. 

                            Opening of the New Largs Green. — The new 

                            green, belonging to the Largs Bowling Green Com-

                            pany (Limited) was opened on Saturday afternoon. 

                            About three o’clock a large company of ladies and 

                            gentlemen assembled the green.  Mr W. Stirling, 

                            chairman of the directors, declared the green open, 

                            and while it was not in good playing order, still it 

                            was, as an old bowler had once said,  “Alike for ane 

                            alike for a’.”  Commissioner Peter Watson, president 

                            of the Allanpark Club, thanked the members of the 

                            newly formed club for Inviting them oat to the new 

                            green, which has now been finished, and would by 

                            another year be one the best greens in the country. 

                            Thereafter sides were drawn by the above two gentle-

                            men—24 men a-side—and the green opened with a

                            friendly game.  When all were in rinks, Mrs Patrick, 

                            wife of Mr James Patrick, writer, threw the first 

                            jack and bowl amidst the cheers of the spectators. 

                            The Largs Brass Band, under the leadership of Mr

                            Charles Denny, was present, and performed a selection 

                            of music during the game.  At the close of the match 

                            it was found that Mr Stirling’s side were victors. 

                            Several complimentary speeches were afterwards 

                            made, and the healths of the ladies proposed.  Mr 

                            Brown, of Millport, replied for the strangers.

Fourteen men and boys stand in a line at the edge of a curb which might be mistaken for a street pavement if were not for the balls scattered in front of them. These are balls used in the game of lawn bowling. Called bowls, they were traditionally made of a heavy, dense hardwood that is shaped (biased) and weighted inside so that they follow a curved path when being rolled towards a smaller white ball called a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty". The player's object is to get their bowls closest to the jack or to knock their opponent's bowls away from it. The game is played on a bowling green which is typically a square or rectangular lawn of fine close-mown and level rolled turf. 

This brass band's photo is a small carte de visite photograph which has no mark for the photographer and no annotations for location, date, or the name of the band. My estimate is that it was taken sometime around 1865–1880. However since it came from a British dealer I'm confident that it is of a British group, though they might easily be a Welsh, Scottish, Irish, or English brass band. 

The subtle clue of the balls was unusual to see in an early group photo like this. I wondered how common it might be for a brass band to appear at a bowling green and it seems that the answer is—very common. In the second half of the 19th century many British inns, pubs, and recreation parks added a bowling green to their amenities as a way to entice more clientele. A performance of a brass band became a popular summertime attraction with the public. The greens were also used for dancing, though I suspect all the divots and hollows created by hobnailed shoes must have greatly annoyed the groundskeepers and the bowls players.

I could not find any modern examples
of a brass band performing at a lawn bowling match.
But since the band in the photo is silent I found
some early silent films that demonstrate
this sport of lawn bowling.

This first one dates from 1927 and has a short description:

"Fighting their battles o'er again — but on the bowling green.

Naval pensioners meet and defeat Chelsea pensioners at bowls."

This second short film is also from the British Pathé archive

and was produced during World War One.

It is entitled "Wounded Soldiers Bowling Contest (1914-1918)."

The precise location is unknown
but it was certainly filmed somewhere in Britain.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where regulation white tennis shoes are required footwear.