RURAL COMMUNITIES IN LINCOLNSHIRE
North & South Somercotes
Billiards and Snooker Club
THE STORY OF THE NORTH SOMERCOTES VILLAGE INSTITUTE BILLIARDS & SNOOKER CLUB
THE LAND AND BUILDING
The earliest registration in July 1855, records that a cottage used as two tenements, was occupied by John and Henery Dales, shoemakers. They had a workshop and a garden measuring 1 rod and 17 perches.
In 1869 the garden was sold to William Josh King, joiner and wheelwright, for £50.00. The land continued to be used as a garden, and was sold in 1876 to William Sutton, blacksmith, for £50.00, and again in 1883, to Henry Smith, taylor and draper, and Edward Parnham Cartwright, brickmaker for £58.00. Later in the same year, 1883, it was sold to Frederick Incles, sergeant of police, and when he died, his widow Elizabeth, having moved to Kirton Lindsey, sold the land to Joseph and John Roberts, grocers & drapers, for the bargain price of £25.00.
In 1913, the land was bought by George Edward Lowis, Fred Wm Jarvis, and John Wm West, who were trustees of the newly formed North Somercotes Liberal Club. With donations from club members, the 'Village Institute Hall' was built. Evidence of this can be seen on the foundation stonework, laid in 1914, with rows of inscribed bricks. The building retained its original use until 1989, when it was requisitioned by the army to billet soldiers stationed in the area for coastal defence works, during World War 2.
In 1869 the garden was sold to William Josh King, joiner and wheelwright, for £50.00. The land continued to be used as a garden, and was sold in 1876 to William Sutton, blacksmith, for £50.00, and again in 1883, to Henry Smith, taylor and draper, and Edward Parnham Cartwright, brickmaker for £58.00. Later in the same year, 1883, it was sold to Frederick Incles, sergeant of police, and when he died, his widow Elizabeth, having moved to Kirton Lindsey, sold the land to Joseph and John Roberts, grocers & drapers, for the bargain price of £25.00.
In 1913, the land was bought by George Edward Lowis, Fred Wm Jarvis, and John Wm West, who were trustees of the newly formed North Somercotes Liberal Club. With donations from club members, the 'Village Institute Hall' was built. Evidence of this can be seen on the foundation stonework, laid in 1914, with rows of inscribed bricks. The building retained its original use until 1989, when it was requisitioned by the army to billet soldiers stationed in the area for coastal defence works, during World War 2.
THE BILLIARDS & SNOOKER CLUB
In 1946, at a meeting at the Bay Horse Inn, a group of local men decided to purchase the Institute, in order to start a Snooker club and "provide a social meeting place for the youth of the village, in an effort to offer alternative entertainment from the Public House, and the streets". The trustees of the new "North Somercotes Village Institute Billiards & Snooker Club", Wm. Roberts, John Hall, Frank Worthington and Alfred Rex Humberstone, paid £500.00 for the building and its land.
THE CLUB TODAY
Over the past 52 years, the club has certainly achieved its objectives. It provides a unique facility for young and old alike, bridging the gap between the generations. The club is financed by membership fees, charges for the use of Snooker tables, donations and fund raising events. However, the building is now 85 years old and in desperate need of repair and modernisation, estimated at £45,000.
Today's present Village Institute Trustees, Brian Donner, Jim Stoves, Keith Larder and Ray Browning, working alongside the clubs management committee, have made a start on these improvements by successfully being awarded a grant of £3,897.00p from the National Lottery Charities Board - under The Awards for All Programme.
This award has paid for the installation of new U.P.V.C. double glazed windows, new central heating boiler, a new 1200 litre oil storage tank, and a new boiler programmer. This award heralds the commencement of these very necessary repairs and improvements, and goes a long way in securing the future of The North Somercotes Village Institute Billiards & Snooker Club into the new Millennium.
Today's present Village Institute Trustees, Brian Donner, Jim Stoves, Keith Larder and Ray Browning, working alongside the clubs management committee, have made a start on these improvements by successfully being awarded a grant of £3,897.00p from the National Lottery Charities Board -
This award has paid for the installation of new U.P.V.C. double glazed windows, new central heating boiler, a new 1200 litre oil storage tank, and a new boiler programmer. This award heralds the commencement of these very necessary repairs and improvements, and goes a long way in securing the future of The North Somercotes Village Institute Billiards & Snooker Club into the new Millennium.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS1998 - 1999
G. Murdy (President) B. Donner (Chairman & Trustee)
A. Parkin (Vice Chair) E. Dowlman (Secretary&Treasurer)
D. Harrison (Committee) P. Bartup (Committee)
M. Tasker (Committee) K. Looker (Committee)
W. Davis (Committee) C. Clayton (Committee)
G. Murdy (President) B. Donner (Chairman & Trustee)
A. Parkin (Vice Chair) E. Dowlman (Secretary&Treasurer)
D. Harrison (Committee) P. Bartup (Committee)
M. Tasker (Committee) K. Looker (Committee)
W. Davis (Committee) C. Clayton (Committee)