Temperance Billiard Halls

The Temperance Billiard Hall, Fulham
The Temperance Billiard Hall, Chorlton-cum-Hardy

The Temperance Billiard Hall Co Ltd was a Pendleton, Lancashire company founded in 1906, that as part of the wider temperance movement built billiard halls in the north of England and London.[1]

Several of the former halls are now Grade II listed buildings, such as the 1910 Temperance Billiard Hall, Fulham, London, now somewhat ironically a pub called The Temperance.[2]

The Temperance Billiard Hall built in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester in 1907, also Grade II listed, is now a J D Wetherspoon pub called the Sedge Lynn.[3]

Their first in-house architect was Norman Evans, who designed a dozen and a half halls from 1906 to 1911, including both of the halls mentioned above.[1][2][3]

Thomas Retford Somerford (sometimes noted mistakenly as T. G. Somerford) was their second architect. His 1912-1914 hall at 134-141 King's Road, Chelsea, London is now a Grade II listed building.[1] Somerford's hall at 411-417 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London is also still there, but the frontage has been sub-divided into a number of smaller shop units, and the upper storeys are used as a hotel.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Temperance Billiard Halls". victorianweb.org. The Victorian Web. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Former Temperance Billiard Hall, 90 and 90A, Fulham High Street". English Heritage list. English Heritage. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Sedge Lynn". jdwetherspoon.co.uk. J D Wetherspoon. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "The old Temperance Billiard Hall on Coldharbour Lane, Brixton". brixtonbuzz.com. Brixton Buzz. Retrieved 10 February 2014.