table, billiard
Object
Accession Number
983.445Alternate Name
pool tableDescription
A full-size mahogany English Billiard table, the eight turned legs supporting frame-work which in turn supports five labs of slate comprising the table "bed" which is covered in green wool felt bordered by six sections of raised rubber cushion covered in felt, each section separated by netted pockets hanging from leather-covered cast-iron supports mounted at each corner and at the half-way point of the two longest sides of the table.Narrative
This billiard table was manufactured by Burroughes & Watts of London, England in 1921. Although not original to Craigdarroch, it is the same size as the Dunsmuir’s table and manufactured by the same company that made the Dunsmuir’s table in Craigdarroch.Many visitors to Craigdarroch ask about the size of the table and how it was carried to the room. This 6’ X 12’ table is known as a “full-size” English billiard table. It weighs about 2, 250 pounds (1,157 kilograms). It comes apart in many pieces and can be moved relatively easily. The chief difficulty in moving it is that the playing surface, known as the "bed", consists of 5 slabs of slate almost 2 inches thick. Each slab weighs about 366 pounds (166 kilograms), and so four strong people are required to safely carry one slab. The legs and assorted rails are light enough for one moderately strong person to carry.
Visitors to Craigdarroch sometimes remark that this is not a true billiard table because of its enormous size and because it has pockets, whereas, in the United States some people believe that a true billiard table is smaller and does not have pockets. It is true that the playing surface of Craigdarroch's table is huge. Although commonly referred to as 6' X 12', the actual playing surface is 11'5 1/2" X 5' 10". A true English billiard table does indeed have pockets. In the United States, this type of table would normally be smaller and called a snooker table or a pool table.
Snooker/pool tables come in a wide variety of sizes and are typically referred to as being: 9' (2.7 m), 8' 5" (2.6 m), 8' ft (2.4 m), or 7' (2.1 m) tables. Tables are always rectangular with a 2:1 ratio (e.g. 8 X 4 ft).
Carom billiards tables do not have pockets. The game played on them originated in France and is alternatively called carom billiards, carombole billiards, or carome. Such tables are 5' X 8'. Carome billiards tables are rare in the USA, but are more common in France, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and South Korea.
History of Use
This billiard table was purchased by The Castle Society in 19821.It had been used in a commercial pool hall in one of Canada's prairie provinces. It had been modified to have an automatic ball return. The related apparatus was removed from the table prior to its acquisition, but the holes drilled through various unseen wooden components of the table still exist.
1. Written report to The Castle Society Board of Directors from President Dorothy Laundy, June 18, 1982.
