Bristol style Skittles
Pins
Bristol
style skittle pins are ideal for fetes and pub fun as well as more serious
skittling. They measure 10 inches high in 3 diameters and come in 2 materials.
Beech/Sycamore sets can optionally feature a 'Fattie Annie' - this is a kingpin which is marginally fatter and which has a lined marked around its centre. The difference in diameter is barely visible and the height is identical with the other pins so it's quite possible to play non-kingpin skittles with the fattie-annie set.
The pins are turned from Beech, Sycamore or Rubberwood- timber that will deteriorate over time by denting rather than splitting. Ideally they should be rubbed down with an linseed oil rag at the end of each session. They are suitable both for fun and for serious skittling.
In pubs, the 4.5 inch pins are usually played with 4.75 or 5 inch diameter
balls; 5 inch pins tend to be played with a 5 inch ball. 4 inch pins might
be used with 4 inch or 4.5 inch balls. Pins may be made from more than
one piece of bonded timber. Please refer to our Timber
Quality Statement.
Made in Britain
Change to $  Change to €  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 Bristol style pins - 4 inch - pins (no kingpin) |
£119.06 | £139.90 | 3 + transit time | ||
9 Bristol style pins - 4.5 inch pins (no kingpin) |
£109.70 | £128.90 | 3 + transit time | ||
9 Bristol style 10 x 5 inch pins (no kingpin) |
£177.79 | £208.90 | 12 + transit time | ||
8 Bristol style 10 x 4 inch pins + Fattie Annie |
£126.72 | £148.90 | 12 + transit time | ||
8 Bristol style 10 x 4.5 inch pins + Fattie Annie |
£176.94 | £207.90 | 12 + transit time | ||
8 Bristol style 10 x 5 inch pins + Fattie Annie |
£177.79 | £208.90 | 12 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Balls
Competitive
skittlers have for centuries prefered to use balls made from the traditional
wood, Lignum Vitae, a tropical hardwood which is extremely hard, very heavy
and also self-lubricating.
Some
leagues prefer hard rubber which is heavier, takes longer to wear out the pins
and is also more environmentally friendly. The balls here are pink to reduce
marking of the alley.
Lignum Vitae has become increasingly difficult to obtain and it seems clear that soon it will be impossible to buy any at all. As an alternative to Lignum, we have balls made from a black phenol resin composite. These are similar to the material used to make modern lawn bowls - the weight and density are deliberately similar to Lignum Vitae. They have been used by serious pubs and league players successfully for many years.
| Change to $ Change to € |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 black phenolic resin skittle balls - 4.5 inch (approx. 1.1Kg, 2lbs 8oz) |
£87.57 | £102.90 | 3 + transit time | ||
3 black phenolic resin skittle balls - 5 inch (approx. 1.5Kg, 3lb 5oz) |
£110.55 | £129.90 | 3 + transit time | ||
Set of 3 pink rubber skittle balls (4.5 inch diameter) |
£96.94 | £113.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
Set of 3 pink rubber skittle balls (5 inch diameter) |
£124.17 | £145.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Product Index
View Basket
About Us
Game Rules
Shortcuts
Go
Bowls
Chess
Skittles
Croquet
Mah Jong
Dominoes
Poker
Sets
Fair Games
Party Games
Casino Games
The Origin of Skittles
Skittles, or Nine Pins, as played in an alley has always been a popular pub game and is the ancestor of related games including ten-pin bowling and various indoor skittles variations. The origins of the game are uncertain but in Germany, in the 3rd or 4th century, monks played a game with a kegel which was a club carried for self defence. In the game, the kegel represented a sin or temptation and the monks would throw stones at it until they knocked it over. The modern German term for skittles is Kegelen. There are also two 14th century manuscripts that show a game called Kayles and depict throwers about to launch a long club-like object at eight pins and a kingpin.
The typical form of Skittles is wherein balls are thrown or rolled from one end of an alley in an effort to knock down nine pins at the other end. Over the years, Skittles developed regional variations in the size of equipment, the rules and so forth. In the East Midlands, people play Long Alley in which the projectiles are rough balls or small capsule shaped logs called "cheeses" and a score is only made if the cheeses bounce a single time just in front of the pins. Old English Skittles or London Skittles, as played at the famous Freemasons Arms in Hampstead, is a majestic game in which enormous discus-shaped cheeses are flung so that they hit the skittles directly without touching the floor first.
From these old games, various miniaturised versions appeared which were more convenient for many pubs with limited space. These include Northamptonshire Skittles and the extremely popular Table Skittles or Devil Amongst The Tailors.
The most popular version of skittles, however, is West Country Skittles wherein 9 skittles are arranged in a square at the end of an alley that might be 24 feet, sometimes much longer. Each turn starts with all the skittles standing and consists of three balls being rolled down the alley. If all the pins are knocked down, then they are reset. So the maximum score in one turn is 27.
You can learn more about the History of Skittles from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.