HISTORY OF BRISTOL GREENBANK BOWLING CLUB

Part one - Conception to Birth

Bristol Greenbank Bowling Club, like many bowls clubs in Bristol, has it origins within the industrial past of our city.
Clubs like G.B.Britton (Footwear), B.A.C. (Aerospace), Imperial (Tobacco), Bristol Arrow (Printing i.e. J.W. Arrowsmiths), City & Port of Bristol (Shipping), Frys (Confectionary) and Bristol Omnibus (Transport) exist today and all began life by a company's reaction to the needs of its employees.
All of these clubs were formed within the last 115 years.
Other clubs such as Robinsons (Printing), Courage (Brewing) and National Smelting (Iron Trades) sadly no longer exist.
Bristol Greenbank, like Frys, was spawned from the confectionary industry. Indeed Mr H.J.Packer, the founder of the company on who's land our green was constructed, once worked for Frys but left to form his own business.
The early years of the Packers chocolate empire can be found by following the link at the bottom of this page.

Bristol Greenbank wish to convey their thanks to Elizabeth Shaw Chocolates who kindly allowed us to publish the following photographs of the times prior to and during the construction of the green.

We continue the story from 1923 onwards.

The photograph below (taken from a periodical produced for the Packers workforce) shows the Packer Recreation Ground in 1923.

The caption below the photograph says " This fine photograph taken from the roof of the new No. 5 Block, gives a very good impression of the spaciousness of the ground, which has been described by an eminent Welfare authority as one of the finest and best equipped Industrial Recreation Grounds in England. The Imposing Institute, named after the late Mr. Bruce Cole, can be seen at the back. During the war, it served first to house a number of Belgian refugees, and afterwards as a Military Hospital. In the foreground the newly erected Tennis Courts show to great advantage. The cricket match in progress is the Gloucestershire v Sussex match. It may be mentioned that the ground has become the recognised venue for a number of Gloucestershire's home fixtures."
The land in the foreground of the photograph is part of the allotments referred to in the next paragraph, many of which still exist today.
The plots immediately to the left of the Tennis Courts would eventually give way to the new bowling green.
Note also the Bristol Midland railway line out of Temple Meads via Lawrence Hill at the bottom right, this is now a cycle path that passes through Fishponds, Staple Hill and Mangotsfield before turning east through Bitton and on to Bath.

An article in the November/December periodical of 1924 appears to start the "bowl" rolling as it were for the implementation of the bowling green. The article says "Mr Clouter asked whether it would be possible to construct a bowling green for the use of the employees. A petition containing about 120 signatures had been submitted to the management. Mr. Crawford said that he recognised that a keen interest was being taken in this question by a very large section of the men. He pointed out that it would entail the giving up of a good many allotments, but he promised that the whole question would be most carefully considered."

It was not until the June/July of the following year when it was reported (in the periodical) that the green was to be constructed. The article reports that:
"The bowling enthusiasts and those that feel that cricket, tennis and football are a bit too strenuous for them, will be pleased to learn that it has definitely been decided to construct a bowling green alongside the tennis courts. There will be a good deal of excavating and filling in to do to level the site, but this work will proceed throughout the summer.
The seed will probably be sown in the spring of 1926, as there is a great risk attached to autumn sowing should we have a severe winter. If we are as successful with the bowling green as we were with the tennis courts, we should be able to have the opening ceremony about the end of June or early July next year.
When the bowling green is finished we shall be in the happy position of having a recreation ground, which will provide sport for all who care to join, whether young or old, and no better appreciation of the Firms generosity can be shown than by making full use of the recreation facilities offered."

Action spoke louder than words it seems at Packers and in the August/September edition of the periodical photgraphs were published showing the construction of the green at a relatively advanced stage with no mechanical earth moving equipment in sight.

The photographs above showing the green under construction are taken from opposing diagonals.
The view on the left is taken in the shadow of the No. 5 Block mentioned earlier.
Just visible to the right are two men, one in a white coat, standing by the tennis courts, obviously discussing the progress of the project. In the background is the Institute. Less obvious are several workmen at work around the rear of the green as we view it.
The view on the right shows the new'ish No. 5 Block with the tennis courts on the left. A workman in the centre leans on his spade for the photographer. A welcome break? To the right of him runs a pair of rails, no doubt an aid to help him move the soil etc. from the site. Planks of wood and levelling sticks appear to be the only aid when attempting to produce a surface that one day will be the "field of dreams" for so many bowlers.

November 1925 brought another statement in the periodical and things appeared to be moving on apace as a Bowls Club was proposed. The article read as follows:

"A meeting held at B.C.I. on Monday, 12th October, 1925, a good number of employees and the management being present to decide which would be the best way of using the new Bowling Green which the Directors of the Firm had so kindly given. The chair was taken by Mr. T. Crawford who explained the different ways by which this could be carried out.

It was proposed and seconded that a club be formed, each member to find his own woods and goloshes. This was carried unanimously.
Officers proposed and seconded were:- President - Mr. Horace Walker.
Vice-Presidents - Mr. T. Crawford and Mr. H. Trowse.
Chairman - Mr. H. Smith (Engineer).
Hon. Secretary - Mr. A. J. Hale (Despatch Department).
The secretary would be pleased to receive any names and at the same time give any particulars of the Club.
After enquiries as to when the green would be opened, it was stated by Mr. Crawford that it is expected to be able to use the new Green about the middle of July next year, provided the weather in the spring is favourable and we get the same results with the large Green as with the test piecc (as written - Author) put down this year and sown in the 1st April. The turf on the test piece, in the middle of July, was in excellent condition and fit to play on.
A. J. Hale Hon. Sec."

To be continued

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