Golf Croquet
Golf Croquet
This particular type of croquet - Golf Croquet - is played in two teams. One team plays the blue and black balls, the other the red and the yellow balls. The sequence of play is blue, red, black, yellow. The first person through each hoop on the course wins a point for their team, whereupon everyone rushes off to the next hoop. The hoops are played in a traditional format: go around the outside four hoops, through the two middle ones and then back through the first four in the reverse direction. The international rules of association croquet state that the court must be 105ft long by 84ft wide which is possible at Highclere but certainly not possible on my parents’ holiday version.
You will therefore not be surprised to hear that one of the first things I did when I came to Highclere, rather too many years ago now, was to buy a new croquet set for the Castle. Whilst we play it ourselves from time to time, we also set it out for many of our events such as the Magic of the Movies weekend or the Highclere Festival. Sarah from the gift shop is a keep player and she is invaluable in helping our less practised guests who want to play organise a game. In fact she is quite bossy but in the nicest possible way.
However, long before we get as far as playing, the first discussion is always the layout of the pitch. I find it safer to play parallel to the Library windows whilst John the Castle Manager prefers it set it out end on. In the end, I usually win but only after much discussion. John sees himself as a bit of a croquet aficionado but the fact is that most of the lawns around the castle are fairly flat so there is plenty of room for a fair playing field for each team.
As usual, England has claimed croquet as a peculiarly English Game and on smart occasions proscribes the dress code as well. Actually, it is more likely that the the game was introduced to Britain from France during the reign of Charles II – he had spent much time there in exile during the English Civil War and Protectorate. At that time it was known as paille-maille and had many similarities to modern croquet being described as: "A play in which the ball is struck with a mallet through an iron ring”.
A man called John Jaques (whose name is still found on traditional croquet sets) saw a game played in Ireland and established a business making the implements and publishing the rules. The mallets and the balls are both made of wood with the former needing to have a good balanced feel.
The game reached the height of its popularity in the Victorian era when it was played with elegance by all members of a family. As the 19th century drew to a close however, croquet was gradually eclipsed by another up and coming fashionable game: Lawn Tennis. Many croquet clubs converted their lawns to tennis courts hence the official title of the club where Wimbledon is played which is: “The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club”. Being English, it even has its own coat of arms and dress code.
Our predecessors at Highclere were no different and also enthusiastically took to tennis. Photographs from the time of the 5th Earl show the games taking place on the same lawns outside the Library and I am pleased to note that they agree with my layout rather than John’s making it much less likely that a ball will be served straight through the library windows.
Even better, at least as far as the Library windows are concerned, Geordie and I have our own tennis court tucked away in a sheltered nook which gives us all a great deal of enjoyment as well as some very necessary exercise.
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65 Comments
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Good morning from Miami Florida. Thank you for this wonderful article about croquet. Ever since I was a child and read Alice in Wonderland, I have loved playing croquet. As an adult I made sure to purchase a set and introduced my two girls to the game and we played several times together. My children bare all grown up and the set is somewhere in my garage collecting dust. Alas I read your article and it has rekindled my love of croquet. I found our set and can't wait to introduce my little nieces and nephews to the game.
Lady Carnarvon lovely the pictures of golf Croquet did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and l love to visit highcelere castle and l am of Downton abbey and l am to statehouse
Greetings Lady Carnarvon,
Another fun, interesting and educational read. Goof for you and Lord Carnarvon to have sport courts on the estate as on good weather days it is always great to be outside for exercise and fun sports. Your current croquet photos with ladies intrigue me as I've never been able to hold and hit a croquet mallet one handed with a drink in my other hand! Talented ladies!
Hope spring continues to sprout so outdoor activities can take place.
Lady Carnarvon lovely the pictures of golf Croquet did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and l love to visit highcelere castle and l am of Downton abbey and l am to statehouse and happy Easter to you and lord Carnarvon when it comes
What a lovely memory!
Lady Carnarvon lovely the pictures of golf croquet and did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and l love to visit highcelere castle and l am fan of Downton abbey happy Easter to you and lord Carnarvon when it come
How fun! I’ll have to try croquet some day. I do play tennis and Wimbledon is a HUGE bucket list item. I’ve been trying to get a chance in the queue for a couple of years now and COVID didn’t help my quest. One day!! Thanks for a delightful story and Happy Spring to you and yours!
Lady Carnarvon lovely the pictures of golf croquet and did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and l love to visit Highclerecastle and l am fan of Downton abbey happy Easter to you and lord Carnarvon when it come
I am sure they will adore playing!
Thank you
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
This is a delightful post. I am sure not only you and your family have a great time competing in both sports but also your guests. What a fun tradition.
Happy spring to all of you.
Diana Squibb
South Florida
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What fun you describe; a wonderful tonic for this Monday morning. I hope you all have many bright, happy games of golf crochet, which by the way is a new game to me, with friends, family and guests. All games should be followed by delicious cocktails made with Highclere Castle Gin! A perfect pairing!!
Be well and stay safe. Thank you for another fantastic blog.
Best regards,
Charlotte Merriam Cole
Thank you
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for posting this lovely story. I understand now why my grandmother insisted her children and grandchildren learn this game. Her parents were originally from Wiltshire, emigrating to Rhode Island, USA and brought "our family game" with them. Indulging in some sweet memories inspired by your post, and despite some physical limitations, I now want to get a croquet set of my own! And a flat lawn...
So much fun, I love croquet and wish I could play with you and you're friends. Have fan and take care
fondly Jenny
Very important a flat lawn!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Reading your blog this morning brought back so many fond childhood memories of playing croquet. I loved this game and had a chance to play in local park tournaments. I have't played in years but I might just have to dust off the mallets and give it another go.
Enjoy and keep playing,
Pam
Good Monday Lady Carnarvon
Thank you for another lovely weekly read. I do so enjoy your stories.
Thank you so much.
Kathleen from Canada.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Such a lovely story. My husband and I always play croquet in the back garden with our three grandchildren 12, 11 and 7. Great fun but the rules do seem to go array!
Best wishes
Susan
Good morning from Texas. I look forward every Monday morning to reading your blog. I am amazed at your writing skill and your ability to inject so much laughter into your writing. As a child we learned to play crochet even in Texas. I find it interesting how much alike we all are in this world of ours. My dream is to visit Highclere one day. Thank you for always starting our week with such interesting tidbits of life. Joyce C.
Is that Pen as a child playing croquet? Also did you receive my email about the Thomas Herbert book I sent you several months ago?
We used to play croquet when we lived in Kenya; our lawn had a slight downhill slope, which made play very interesting ! Gret fun !
Very fun reading today. Thanks.
Lady Carnarvon,
This brings back sweet memories of playing with my brother and sister. My sister who was the oldest lost her left leg to cancer as a child, however it did not slow her down! She took part in many activities such as this along with swimming and bowling. She had an beautiful singing voice, married her high school sweetheart, had children and grandchildren and will always be my hero. Thank you for bringing up just one of many special memories with her.
Gay Hightower
Georgia, USA
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for bringing up a special memory with my brother and big sister. George is four years older than I and my sister, Avis was 14 years older. Avis lost her left leg to cancer as a child but never let it slow her down. She had a beautiful singing voice, married her high school sweetheart and they raised a beautiful family together over their 60 year marriage. She will always be my hero. Thank you again for stirring one of my sweet memories of her.
Very Sincerely,
Gay Hightower
At our summer cabin in New York one of the open fields was called the croquet court. The Welch's.... as in grape juice... built our cabin in 1931 and the grounds are still and often reserved for fun sports.
So... even in the US we play croquet.
How funny!
Thank you
How wonderful!
My city has a croquet club. It's fun to see the Facebook posts during their "season" here (too cold and snowy in winter) because they do follow the dress guidelines and etiquette protocol and seem to be having such a good time :)
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I have never played croquet on a lawn (we have a lawn but we also have moles so not very flat) but I have played a miniature table top version. My mother in law inherited the set from her mother so it's quite old. We had a game a few years back, mum in law, husband, very calm and collected brother in law and me. We began very politely but by the end of the game it got SAVAGE the competition was fierce! But hilariously good fun!!
Jane
I am sorry, I never received a book regarding Thomas Herbert
How funny!
This brought back some wonderful memories from my childhood. My dad discovered croquet during his trip to England in 1948. When I was a little girl, he used to set up the croquet in our backyard on Sunday after church and we’d all play a game or two. Still dressed up in our Sunday best clothes too! Thank you so much for sharing your croquet story. You have truly brightened my day!
Cynthia
What a fun story! I love the first picture posted in this blog...you're laughing and I can hear you laughing! I saw Mary Berry on a PBS program that featured quite a sumptuous meal at Highclere. Your laugh is infectious! Thanks for these bits on a Monday morning! Cheers!
Good morning Lady Carnarvon,
I loved your story today. My Mother’s family had a beach house in Waveland Mississippi where we spent our childhood summers on the Gulf of Mexico. My sister and my two cousins and I played croquet on summer evenings. We had to set to set up our course around the numerous pine trees and scruff beach grass that grew in the sandy soil. Such wonderful memories. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Mary McGinnis
Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA
Dear Lady Carnarvon
Thank you for your writing about Golf croquet on the beautiful lawns at Highclere. I am looking forward to the Tennis grand slams this year. Wish I could be there.
Kindest regards
Are the Highclere dogs merely croquet spectators, or do they swoop in and take up one of the balls and run off with it, confounding the play? Can't imagine ours resisting such temptation!
Thank you!
The balls are quite large for a dogs to pick up!
Lady Carnarvon,
I must say- you certainly have the yard for a , how shall I put it, several rousing games of Croquet!
I grew up with a rather large back yard, and we used to play Croquet, and badminton a lot. Unfortunately today’s youth lean toward other more electronic venues, but frankly I believe in ‘fresh air and sunshine’!
As always , your blog has been most interesting and helpful in jogging good memories of the past.
Thank you for your beautiful photos and lovely memories.
Regards,
Jane Hrabak
Lady Carnarvon,
I am curious about the young girl in the black and white photo.
Also, it looks like you and your furry friend have a fun game of your own!
Take care.
You are welcome!
Thank you for the history of this game. Enjoyed reading the article and look forward to a game .
I especially like the photo with the club in one hand and the wine in the other! Apparently the correct way to play!
It is very nice seeing the Croquet pitch set up in pretty much the correct manner. Here in West Texas we had to play around brown spots, sprinkler heads and chuck holes in the grass. We also played Badminton on those rare days when the winds weren't blowing 50 miles an hours.
Looks like a lovely course!
Wallace
Midland Texas
Lady Carnarvon, I have played a few times many years ago. It was great fun but sadly did not do well. The lawn was bumpy and that will get you everytime! Cheryl
Wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. Made my day.
Blessings to all
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for your entertaining Monday blog and great pictures. Reading it brought back nice childhood memories of playing badminton on the front lawn at the house in Detroit, or setting up on a Sunday afternoon picnic wearing our "best" outfit.
Until next week, keep enjoying the early Spring weather.
Perpetua Crawford
Dear Lady Carnarvon, congratulations for this delicious sport lesson. It reminded me of Downton Abbey 's episode 8 series 3 : Downton 's annual cricket match with the village takes place . Mr. Molesley spends a lot of time bragging about his skills, only to fail miserably in the actual tournament. Thank you for your description of Highclere 's sport activities. We can also find famous references to croquet in literature: in Little Women the March sisters play croquet, an act of Chekhov's Seagull is set in an open space dedicated to croquet, in The Shining the protagonist uses a croquet stick as a weapon. Have fun and good game !
You too
Can't give up with a bumpy lawn!
It is most correct!
Wonderful!
I think the young girl was Lady Evelyn Herbert - the 5th Earl's daughter
Thank you
My family played an had a court. My Mother always won. They could play after dark as the court was light.
Still love the game but my Mother side is 100 per cent
English. Guess it in the blood
Dear Lady Carnarvon!
So interesting to read about The croquet game. I have played it over here in Sweden too.
Swedish greetings from Lena
It is a fun game ..
Dear Lady Carnarvon -- My husband and I belonged to a croquet club here in Florida for about twenty years and recently had to resign due to medical problems. Golf croquet was our favorite game -- much faster than six wicket and a lot more fun. Every time I see our mallets in the closet I get sad. We loved the game and the challenge and miss it so much.
Head down and follow through!
Last week I watched the Mary Berry PBS special on your lovely home. You are so personable and welcoming. It was such a joy to tour your home and grounds and I felt like I was a very special guest. Thanks for opening your home to those of us who cannot visit in person.
I'm 77 and haven't played since childhood. My grandmother had a set. We used a very flat side lawn. I recently found an old set at an antique store and couldn't resist buying it.
Reminded me so much of Utterby Manor - I almost thought the dark curly haired child was me!
How cute Annie !
Lady Carnarvon,
Oh my!! What a delightful story of one of my favorite childhood games!! Our next door neighbors’ side lawn was set up on many summer evenings before twilight for the six neighborhood children to play ‘croquet.’ Not as elegant as at Highclere, but much giggling and energy - the scent of the mimosa tree in the far corner, the murmured conversation of parents nearby in lawn chairs - what a special time, long ago!
Thank you again for a very happy memory!
Martha G