The Granhert Cup

"Before the First World War, Mr Granhert was a wholesale tobacconist living in London who had 'The Limes' in Church Lane as a country home. A Mr & Mrs Charles Wenham lived in the house as caretakers. The out buildings consisted of a harness room, coach house and stable for two ponies and also a skittle alley, all of which are there today. He went to the races at Newmarket with his friends he brought with him from London. Also, he used the skittle alley to play against local gentlemen:

Mr J. Chapman, Pond Farm
Mr Lukies, School Master
Mr John Smith, Hill Farm
Mr F. Brown, Farmer - Mill Green

I remember the late Mr Fred Chapman saying that as a boy, he used to roll back the skittles for 2/6d (12.5p) a night and the whisky they drank was 7/- (35p) a gallon. This was 1906-10. The scores were still shewing in chalk when I moved from 'The Limes' in 1965. In the summertime, they played bowls. The outbuildings which were good were built by a Mr A. Wells who lived in the little house opposite the school (now demolished), who was a carpenter and undertaker. Mr Granhert was either interned or died during the First World War."

The notes above were written by the late Mr Phil Haylock, who lived at The Limes before the current owners- Mr & Mrs J. Rixon.

The cup is in the possession of Mrs Mary Nordern and we are grateful to her for sight of the above notes and permission to photograph the cup outside the old skittle alley building, now much altered.