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This is the story of an early Mawson billiards table being relocated to a village just outside Peebles in Scotland , a two day job was the schedule to relocate the table which had to come downstairs and then back upstairs .
This was not so bad as it had very thin slates and did not weigh that much .
an ideal table for upstairs location .
we set out on the 28th of January to Sheffield to pick the table up and load it Blanket wrapped onto our van .
Then it was off to Scotland .

We made our way through the Scottish borders to arrive at our clients home around 2pm , just in time for a well deserved coffee and unload of frame and set up , ready for some extra guys to help get the slates upstairs .
our client had arranged for 3 more guys to come along to help lift the slate upstairs and onto the pre leveled frame .

We then made good time in fitting the bed cloth on and also the cushions by 6pm

You may note that this Mawson table which is circa 1880 to 1895 has some very nice Mahogany figured wood veneer , especially the flat side and end frame parts , the center leg having a butterfly book matched veneer pattern each side of the leg matching like opening a book and getting the mirror image in reverse so to speak .

The veneer was very high class work of art , and the flame mahogany ran all around the frame work and into the ends .

The table had a few indications to it’s age , one is the top plates that have fingers of brass each side of the pocket leathers , these where faded out from 1895 and by the end of 1899 they had disappeared from most billiard tables fittings and the concealed fixed plates started to appear from 1895 .

On one cushion there was fixed a label that had a date of 1893, this maybe a re-rubber or modern rubber fitting label , as some rubber around that time was of different profiles , once a billiard firm had produced a better profile of rubber the other firms copied it , in these times of the 1890s they had thin layers of rubber cemented on top of each other much like laminating , the one piece L shape rubber became the norm around this time as the new modification to have and many tables had to have new blocks and rubber fitted to bring up to date .
most tables where modified by late 1910 as the modern cushions where produced , this is why you see so many re-rubber names like the speedy reliable cushion or the arrowflite cushions as swift as an arrow .
the firm i used to work for called there re-rubbered cushion the Empire Match cushion as can be seen from my photo of an old Elston & hopkin plate this is circa 1938 .
But this paper 1893 label could be the Exact date the table was manufactured being just a couple of years before those top plates where discontinued by the majority of firms .
and with a table number of 1275 this could be how many tables they had produced up to that date .

We stayed overnight at an Hotel ( The Park ) in Peebles and our client paid for our stay over with meals and left us £20 for a drink behind the bar ( very nice of him ) we then returned to our clients home to check the level again and yes it had sunk a very slight amount into the carpet on two legs .
a quick re-level and another cup of coffee and we had a very satisfied client who was delighted with the Mawson billiard table and with our work to relocate it for him .

I came out of the Army in the year of 1976 , and started to work for my uncle’s firm Trent Valley Pool & Snooker tables Leisure firm in Chettles industrial Estate and office on lincoln Street basford .
I worked alongside my cousin Gary Hume and A sub contract billiard fitter called Mick Robb who had a firm called Belvoir billiards .
I stayed at Trent Valley Leisure for 4 years , then on advice from Mick Robb , I left and moved to Elston & Hopkin of Goldsmith Street Nottingham .
although I still did a bit of work for my Uncle Ron and cousin Gary over the years while I worked for Elston & Hopkin , mainly at weekends or evenings
and my boss at Elston & Hopkin did knew that I helped them out now and again . although their work and sales where nationwide and E&H where local east midlands mainly very little outside a 50 to 80 mile radius
.so no conflict of interest .
John hopkin was a very good Employer and Boss .

In 1980 Elston & hopkin where just being relocated from the very old Empire Theatre Building on goldsmith Street Nottingham where they had a billiard hall and a very fine fitted out Solid Mahogany sales counter for billiard table spares . cue sales and so on .
I also got married in 1980 to my Wife Carol , who I am happy to say we are still together after 39 years of marriage and have two Daughters Helen and Kimberley and in 2018 our first Grand child Emily arrived .~
Sorry no Boys to carry on the business .
Elston & hopkin moved into a workshop on Canal Street , also now demolished , and then into the Newark Street premises from 1980 .
having a 18 table billiard hall , office and workshop on the top floor .
of Davisella house right on the corner of Newark street & Manvers Street .
Elston & hopkin moved out in the early 2000s and sold out to Universal logic in 2004 , I went with the firm to work out of a warehouse in Gainsborough Lincolnshire for the next 7 years .
I look back on the 43 years I have been working as a Billiards fitter .
I have learnt from everyone around me from my Uncles firm and Gary Hume to Mick Robb who was a big influence in my work , to Roger Perczynski and Alan Pykett at Elston & hopkin .
I also learnt a bit of Computer presentation and promotion from my last boss Ted Roberts .
I have had my ups and downs , but became self employed in May 2012 when I had started GCL billiards .


I have met some characters , and worked for some very famous people , as you can imagine it is not everyone who has a room for a full size billiard table , and most celebs and sports personalities do at sometime in their life have ownership or inherit through a house sale a full size table .
But I get as much satisfaction working for normal working folk like myself as I do the high society and famous clientele .
I look upon myself as the Caretaker in my time period of the billiard tables I work on .
I am now approaching 65 years of age , and starting to feel the aches and pains of fitting such heavy tables .
a bit of arthritis , a bad knee joint from my football days , and the normal getting old feeling that you feel creeping up on you .
To the point that upstairs locations are now null and void and no go areas .
let the younger fitters lift slate upstairs or into a basement .
So I do not do this type of heavy lifting anymore , one bad job could put me off work for a long time so why risk it , just ground floor to ground floor locations and the van loading if I wish to carry on to my 70’s
I do not know how long I will be doing this line of work , but I do aim to get to 70 years old at least full time .
So at least another 5 years and two months to go yet .
HEALTH PERMITTING of course .
and maybe do 3 days a week then 2 days a week until retirement , but it is not unusual for 80 year old fitters to still be fitting tables and doing Re-cloths , At Elston and Hopkin they had an old fitter called Joe doing it until he was 80 odd years old .
he fully retired just before I started there .

MAY  2019 UPDATE ON THIS TABLE .

 

SELLER HAS INFORMED THIS TABLE IS NOW SOLD VIA ANOTHER WEB SITE

 

SOLD SOLD SOLD !


We have a client who wishes to sell their very nice 9ft raise and fall dining table , the table was made by Hamiltons , and if you do your research this is a bespoke hand made piece that would be very expensive when made , and very rare to find a dining table / snooker table raise and fall type , and try finding one larger than 8ft .
Try finding another 9ft snooker dining table that is 9ft playing area .
once you get up to 8ft then finding one larger size than this becomes like finding a needle in a haystack ,, although we may have a full size George Wright windup action one coming up for sale soon so keep watching these adverts for that one .

Table is being sold as a PRIVATE SALE direct from the seller , who supplied the size of the slate bed , table is dismantled as we speak and is ready for collection , it may require a re-cloth

The table is a three section slate bed table for easy transport

All inquiries to c.large@btinternet.com

or contact Geoff at GCL billiards

Buyer responsible for collection , if you would like a quote from Geoff to collect this table for you and deliver it , then also please contact at above details

UNIQUE table not to be confused with low cost tables this one would have cost a lot of money when it was manufactured by Hamiltons

You only have to look at their web site , all tables are POA , why pay Hamiltons price when you can have the same for a fraction .

https://www.hamiltonbilliards.com/snooker-dining-tables.html

Wanted urgently a 10ft Karnehm and Hillman for a local Nottinghamshire client .
prefer Buckingham model or turned leg model over a square leg one but open to offers of what is out there .

We have a client who wishes to sell their nice Riley Aristocrat full size snooker table .
Table looks in good order with vast range of accessories included .
Just £500 buy arranges for collection , GCL billiards will quote to move this table for any buyer and set it back up again on ground floor .
All inquiries to

c.large@btinternet.com

or phone 07753466064 and speak to Geoff Large at GCL billiards

Today I have set up a full size BCE Westbury steel cushioned table at a  clients house near Derby
my client is having his whole house modernized and extended , and some serious designs have gone into the property .
one thing they did require for the snooker table was a custom colour of Taupe from Hainsworth smart cloth .
Taupe is a kind of mushroom or faded camel colour is another way to describe it .
the cloth  looks grey in the photo’s but close up it is mushroom soup colour .

Frame being set up , just the centre adjustable slate muntin’s ( centre slate bearers )  to be fitted next and a pre level of frame before slates go on .

stripping cushions ready for re-cover . slates have been fitted , and joints filled and level .

Match play steel cushions re-covered in the new Taupe coloured Hainsworth smart  cloth .

Bed cloth being fitted

Table finished , Balls set up for play .
the light above the table  is not my cup of tea , but the clients are looking into that with a possibility of changing it for something more suitable for the table .
if they deem it not suitable .

my clients are going to have the whole frame and cushion cappings painted in another colour

I am sorry to say this , but because we are very popular within the Snooker and pool community
we are again fully booked out on our run up to Christmas .
There may be a chance of pulling a small job in like a pool table re-cover if we are passing , but to be honest these would have to be close to Nottingham or Derby to do this .

GCL billiards has built up a good reputation within our local area and much further around the UK .
I have had to drop some types of work off our radar since March 2018 , things like abroad work which takes too much traveling time and eats into our work back here in the UK
and because I am now getting on in age upstairs or downstairs basement installs of snooker tables has been limited too .
so please mention if you have stair work involved or many steps , even some outside step staircases we have to refuse .
I am of course fully capable of all ground work installs and removals of full size snooker tables , as you only pivot the weight of the slate on level ground of and onto piano wheels trolley .
and do not actually lift it up or down .
I used to wonder why I got so many referrals for upstairs work , from other firms , now it all makes sense , I was the only one daft enough to take it all on , resulting in some serious muscle and joint wear over the 43 years I have been fitting tables .
I am willing to travel anywhere in the UK within reason and if the payment of this work is equal to the man hours away from Home and B&B or hotel charges are met,
then I am willing to take this work on

Most of my work is the Recovering and Re-rubber of all cue sports tables .

Leveling WITHIN PRODUCTION  SPEC OF SLATE !

and then sitting back and admiring my finished work .

I may even get chance to knock a few balls around with my clients .

There are not many Old school Time served Billiard table fitters left working in the UK
The large firms have disappeared and their apprenticeships have gone with them .

Try finding a good billiard table fitter who is free within a few days and I would say this would be an impossible task ,
most are like myself and busy 6 to 8 weeks booked up in advance most months .

from this dry and hard cracked rubber on a 7ft riley diner

plane new rebate shelf for larger rubber

to larger rubber fitted for better bounce and perfect angle cut

To my knowledge there are a few good fitters around Liverpool / Sheffield / Scotland / one in Bournemouth  / Bristol maybe Birmingham and that is about it .
Many tables have been scrapped over time , but there are Thousands out there requiring work on them ,
yet only a few fitters left in the UK that are capable of doing the Work to an acceptable level , so please do your home work on any of the firms you choose to make sure they are not speed fitters , who only hit and run and never take their time .
Where the Chinese looked up to the UK fitters to train them from around 1980s  , in the future it will be Chinese fitters coming over to the UK to show UK fitters how to do the job .

Billiard and pool table work is a specialist time served job , I do not plan to retire anytime in the near future , I like my work that much , I have just got back from Butlins Skegness where I had to dismantle two full size tables and scrap them , then dismantle 6 Brunswick 9ft american pool tables .
I then relocate three of these over to the Green baize snooker room , and recovered them in Butlins red cloth , store one on site and keep some spares from the two others , and then scrap / recycle what is left of two of these two pool tables .

scrapped or should I say recycled slate and solid oak woodwork .

install american Brunswick gold crown pool tables with red Strachan super pro speed cloth ,  in Green Baize club
I am sorry to say the Free to play snooker tables at Butlins is about to stop in the New year , from January 2019 all tables in the Green Baize will be around £6 per hour.
Skegness was the only Butlins left doing free snooker the other two camps in Minehead and Bognor charged for playing snooker .
Skegness is now being brought into line and I have been informed they require me every three or four months from now on to keep their tables playing well to warrant the charging of the free table time , I have been calling twice year in the past .

Hot Shots pool area is now an Entertainment Venue .
all pool tables have been removed from this area .