Local job for me today just 4 hours to strip and clean slates , re-cloth cushions and bed in Strachan 6811 tournament cloth 30 oz weight , plus change one middle net . plus check and adjust levels .
Nice easy local day for me .
Category Archives: News
Pleasure to work on such a Nice Burroughs & Watts Billiard Table
This week I had the pleasure of working on this very nice large bulbous fluted leg Burroughs & Watts Billiard / snooker Table circa around 1910 .
My client was having problems with the rubber not bouncy enough , and the pockets where not all the same size .
I stripped the table down to find the last re-rubber by Burroughs and Watts was in 1954 , my client had purchased the table from another firm who had claimed to have completely refurbished the table , this was not the case as the photo of the rubber proved having 54 code year on it .
the other firm had made fantastic job of the re-polish though as the photos show , so full credit to them on that part of the refurb work .
Photo above of the actual rubber I took off the table , showing the 54 date code , most rubber made had a date code on them a practice still used on Northern rubber , which now has a boxed moulded in date code where the year is present then 12 boxes with dots in it showing the expired months , so if a rubber had 24 on it and then 5 boxes with a dot in them , the date of manufacture would be 2024 and the month of May . as can be seen below in this advert by Hainsworth who own the rights to Northern Rubber now .
The above date code on this advert example is 2018 and 7 dots in box section = July .
you can see the next year is 2019 an boxes have dots in them , each dimple dot is drilled into the casting as each month ends forming a moulded raised dot , a simple method .
The old method of dating rubber was just a stamp on top of the rubber which is easy to sand off , so that is why they switched to the moulded box dot method of dating rubber .
Above old method of dating rubber was a stamped on painted print , easy to remove .
so that is why they switched to imprinting in moulding, of box month dating and year .
If you see this has been removed you know someone is trying to hide the year it was last done
also look for the yellow dot in Northern Rubber , this to stop the Chinese copying it .
The yellow dot insert is your guarantee it is Genuine Northern Rubber as used on Professional TV Tour tables , by World snooker .
Here are the finished photos of my clients table , as you can see my Client has a very nice bottom of the garden games Room , the table has heated slates , and I have changed the rubber to Northern Rubber , cloth used was Hainsworth Match cloth on the bed , and Hainsworth thicker smart cloth on the cushions , as these take a lot of wear , more so than the bed cloth .
The ball rails where also changed for more modern chromed type with 4 rail bars in them and the two spot end rails where extra long to collect more red balls at that end .
I would also like to point out that the cushions mahogany is extremely heavy , these would play the same as steel block cushions , they where made from Cuban Mahogany , a very hard and heavy wood just like lignum vitae as used on crown bowl balls , and it is extremely rare to find these on a table , and as a Billiards fitter of 48 years now , I can only say I have only come across a dozen tables on my rounds in the past , out of thousands of tables I have worked on to have these fitted .
So if you are lucky enough to have one of these sets of cushions on your table , you are very lucky .
In 1910 a table like this would have been the same price of a terraced or semi detached house , so this table would have been in a very rich household , and from the labels on it from the previous firm that moved it , from the Bath area of UK when it was first installed .
Carved large bulbous reeded leg full size snooker table for sale . £750 . May be a George Wright manufacture
Private sale direct from Owner
* We advise to view before buying
May be a George Wright manufacture . as he used this leg design often of reeded bulbous legs .
The table has very large circumference legs , which are carved reeded type as used by George wright .
there are scrolls at each side of each leg , and you also have scrolls and a Scallop shell carved design in the frame work too .
Ignore the Arthur Perry & Son plaque this is a later re-rubber plaque put on by Perry when they carried out a refurb of cushion rubber ,and it is advertising A Reliance cushion rubber .
A very nice looking table with buttons on the cushions rather than a slide in panel .
I would say circa 1920s
My client is looking for £750 for the table with accessories as shown .
The price is for the table as is on site , and any removal costs will be the buyers responsibility .
I am sure the table requires a re-cloth , looking at the photos too .
But is priced correct at just £750 .as any buyer will need to factor in removal costs and a re-cloth .
this table done up by a billiards firm would be in excess of £5k to £6.5k .
All inquiries to Geoff or Carol at GCL billiards .
Client wishes to sell nice 8 leg 10ft Snooker Table Offers at the moment ,Table is sited in the Northampton area . REDUCED TO A BARGAIN £750 find one as good condition for this price .
Private sale direct from owner
* We advise any buyer to try the table out before buying .
We have a selling client who wishes to sell direct to buyer , a nice modern 8 turned leg model
10ft size snooker Table , as you can see from the photos , it is in very good condition .
Buyer to arrange pick up ,…JUST REDUCED £750 for the table with accessories .
please study the photo’s , and you are buying direct from the owner , as is on site .
10ft tables are the next best solution to a full size , if you are struggling for room , not as many 10fts for sale as 12fts , and not many for sale with 8 legs as most are 6 leg .
Being a modern made 10ft with modern pocket plates , you will not have the problems of older billiard pocket design , and balls should be more easier to pocket .
Sought after build quality Period 7ft Riley Snooker table thick 3 section slate bed , very rare to find one like this . £1500 ovno .
A Private sale direct from the seller , They do not make them like this anymore in this size table .
We have a client who wishes to sell on their very sturdy and built proper 3 section slate 7ft bed Snooker table , you do not come across these often as they are built to the same spec of a full size table .
inferior 7fts are thin one piece slate bed on a sub frame that have wood screw n cushions , this table has a very thick sectional slate bed , and the cushions bolt into the slate directly , giving a much better bounce .
Priced to sell at just £1500 OVNO , buyer arranges collection .
Comes with a range of accessories as shown in photos below .
Accessories included as seen in photo above .
As you can see from this underside photo the slate is in three sections and is very thick
and has the cushion insert threaded nuts inside the slate for cushions to bolt to .
spider and X rest and hooks also included .
Built just like a full size table would be .
As you can see the bolt head is substantial size bolt , this clamps the cushion up tight to the edge of the slate giving a far superior bounce than inferior thin slate wood screw on cushions .
3 bolts in each cushion .
Location of table is Southport , just above Liverpool .
Price is for the table and accessories only , and buyer arranges delivery through any billiard firm they wish to choose from in the UK .
We could quote to dismantle load deliver and erect ….. contact Geoff at GCL billiards for more information at c,large@btinternet.com .
NOW SOLD……. Free Play Supreme Winner white cabinet Black cloth , second hand private sale £800
SOLD SOLD SOLD
We have a selling client who wishes to sell their very nice 7ft supreme free play winner pool .
These are around £1750 new , A Green badge model and my selling client says just 2 to 3 years old .
so this table will have the upgraded solid cast chrome corners and not chrome plastic , it will have alloy cushion beading too and not plastic cushion beading . as can be seen in the photos .
Never had rough commercial use , always played at home from new and not much use as the cloth looks ok in the photos , just in need of a good brush and iron .
comes with cues and balls
For sale at just £800 buyer arranges collection , I will find out where it is located a adjust the advert later on .
You are buying direct from the seller , not from GCL billiards .
I may be able to quote for a pick up and delivery if this is in my area and is ground floor to ground floor , if not I could recommend other firms that do this .
Please note that delivery and set up is not in with the sale price .
NOW SOLD … OFFER ACCEPTED ……………………BCE Westbury as used in the 1982 world snooker finals Alex Higgins V Ray Reardon for sale . £3000 OVNO .
TABLE NOW SOLD SOLD SOLD ,
the table with accessories has been sold
LIGHT NOW SOLD TOO
We have a client who wished to sell there very nice BCE Westbury steel match play cushioned Snooker Table , the table is one of the pair that was used in the 1982 Finals .
*** I am not sure if the actual table as used in the final or the one taken down to make way for the final table , as I find the engraved plaque a bit confusing to read what it exactly is .
But I have studied the 1982 final on you tube and some of the wood grain does match
Wood Grain match to compare as can be seen in this link .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1PuqKno_Ok
The table also comes complete with ornate lights , and scoreboard .
The 1982 World Snooker Championship (officially the 1982 Embassy World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 30 April and 16 May 1982 at the Crucible Theatre, in Sheffield, England. It was the only event of the 1981–82 snooker season which carried world ranking points. Embassy, a British cigarette company, sponsored the tournament, and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) governed the organisation of the event. It had a prize fund of £110,000, with the winner receiving £25,000.
The defending champion Steve Davis had defeated Doug Mountjoy with a score of 18–12 in the previous year‘s final. In 1982, Davis lost 1–10 to Tony Knowles in the first round. Alex Higgins won his second world title by defeating Ray Reardon 18–15 in the final. Ten century breaks were made during the tournament, the highest of which was a 143 scored by Willie Thorne.
This table is sold as seen in the photos with all certification and accessories .
and I will put you in touch with the owner or his son to arrange the purchase of the table , you will be buying direct from the seller and not from a dealer , who I think would ask for much more than the selling price .
Message from the owner ………Ideally this table we would like sold and moved before Christmas 2025 .
*** PLEASE NOTE *** The table does not include any dismantle , blanket wrapping or bubble wrapping , loading or delivery costs ,and does not include delivery and set back up costs , the buyer will have to sort this out either through GCL billiards or their own firm , at a price quoted ,once I know the post code and confirmation it is on ground floor no stairs involved .
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE GCL BILLIARDS . but we are a time served billiards fitter firm with nearly 50 years personal fitting experience .
For sale fantastic OAK scroll leg full Size renovated by Smith & Nelson Snooker Table £2000 OVNO .
Find another like this beauty , in 2015 I moved this table from Dorsett to Stone / Woodford area in Gloucester , a stones throw from Michael wood services on the M5 .
here is the link to that move .
https://gclbilliards.com/last-fitting-of-full-size-snooker-before-christmas-gcl-billiards-is-now-closed-until-january-4th-2016/
This table is a superb looking one , the large thick chunky legs with the scrolls on top .
The table has been dismantled and brought downstairs and is now stored at another property close to the Cotswolds .
This was the table when it was sited in the Dorsett property , before my client bought it and then had it transported to his Gloucester Farm Home .
This table may be a Burroughs and watts , it may be a Smith & Nelson or renovated by them
here is the report when I took it down for storage for my first selling clients .
copy and paste to see that report .
https://gclbilliards.com/a-very-ornate-snooker-table-for-sale-in-dorset-may-be-a-burroughs-and-watts-table/
if you read my link you will see he made a special fork lift cradle with rollers to pass the slates through a window from a Tele Handler extending beam fork lift .
This is the same table set back up with a re-cloth and new nets and leathers in December 2015 .
I do not know the condition of the cloth now , but home tables tend to get little use after the first 6 months of use .
It may require a re-cloth it may not .
Smith & Nelson Badge ….but it may be Burroughs and watts table renovated by them ?
The table is not steel block it is standard , so ignore this on the badge , it states they make steel cushions that’s all .
Which makes me believe this table was just renovated by them .
I will ask a billiard Historian (Peter Ainsworth ) if he knows the make of the table .
He has a vast collection of sales catalogues of the table manufacturers over the years .
But it is a very well made OAK table with welsh slate , probably made around 1920/30s ?
the price of the table does not include any pick up and fitting , also if requires a re-cloth take this on board if making an offer .
If you require a quote to have this table delivered and set up please contact Geoff or Carol at GCL billiards
at email
c.large@btinternet.com
01159 725355 Home / Office
07753 466064 mobile for Geoff
