A Little History

Early days

Mr. Fred Thackaberry wrote a history of the Club for the Centenary in 1982 and wrote:

“The exact date on which the Kenilworth Bowling Club first saw the light is, and likely to remain, an unsolved mystery. The legendary school copy book in which the first minutes were recorded has disappeared without trace. The back gardens where the original members played cannot be located with certainty but pointers suggest that they were behind numbers 29 and 30 Kenilworth Square, both of which houses were shown under the name of Mr. Charles Eason in 1890. There is, however, a photograph inscribed “The Kenilworth Bowling Club 1892” showing eight gentlemen standing in Kenilworth Square with woods at their feet. Two, displayed in the present pavilion, are inscribed as follows – one: “Kenilworth Bowling Club 1893, W.W. Eason, Club Prize” and the other: “Kenilworth Bowling Club 1894 W.W. Eason Club Prize.””

The history goes on to state that the Club acquired a 25-year lease of Grosvenor Square in April 1909.

Movetone and Pathe newsreels from 1910-1928

The Ladies had their own green (“the hen run”) in the North East corner of the square and they seemed to be more accurate bowlers!
Something familiar about it all?
Watch the the New Zealand Haka as you have never seen it before.

The National Library has some photographs of the Club from the early days all made by the Eason family: ?1920s, ?early 1930s, ?late 1930s. They show the different locations for the tennis club over the years and the extension to the original club house.