History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 104 – Magnet Bowl Mill Road Cambridge
By John Ashbridge, Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President After a somewhat slow start in the bowling business, with just two centres opened in 1964 the […]
John Ashbridge
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 103 – Granada Belle Vue Bowl Hyde Road Gorton Manchester
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 32-lane Granada Bowl at Belle Vue, Manchester is believed to have been the first centre to […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 102 – Top Rank Bowl Gladstone Terrace Gateshead Co Durham
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The Top Rank Bowl in Gateshead opened on 19th May 1965 and was equipped with 24 lanes […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 101 – Excel Bowl Bitterne Road Bitterne Southampton
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The Excel Bowl, Bitterne was the second tenpin bowling centre in Southampton when it opened on 4th […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 100 – Ambassador Lanes High Street Edgeware Middlesex
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The eighth centre in the Ambassador chain of centres was the 32-lane centre in Edgeware which opened […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 99 – Excel Bowl Linthorpe Road Middlesborough
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge What were to be the last three bowling centres in the Excel Bowling estate all opened in […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 98 – Skyline Bowl North Tay Street Dundee
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge Moving into the sixth year of Tenpin Bowling in the UK the development continued but started to […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 97 – Ambassador Lanes Birmingham Road Wolverhampton
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The last centre to open in 1964 was the 26-lane AMF equipped centre in Birmingham Road Wolverhampton […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 95 – Top Rank Bowl Silver Street Doncaster
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 28-lane Brunswick equipped Top Rank Bowl Doncaster opened on Monday 30th November 1964. Very little is […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 94 – Magnet Bowl Queen’s Road Barnsley Yorkshire
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The first of two Magnet centres to be opened in the same month was the 32-lane AMF […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 93 – Brunswick Bowl The Causeway Billingham County Durham
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge It is not entirely clear of the exact opening date of this centre which is believed to […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 92 – Arrow Bowl Doncaster Road Scunthorpe Lincolnshire
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The first tenpin bowling centre to open in the Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe was the 18 lane […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 91 – Top Rank Bowl Colyear Street Derby
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 21st bowling centre in the Top Rank operation was introduced to the citizens of Derby on […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 90 – Ambassador Lanes Staines Road Hounslow
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge One of the largest bowling centres in West London to open was the 32-lane Ambassador Bowl, Hounslow. […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 89 – Excel Bowl Otley Road Headingley Leeds
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The sixteenth centre in the Excel chain to open was the 26-lane AMF equipped centre in Headingley, […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 88 – Excel Bowl Bolton Road Walkden Bolton Lancashire
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The fifteenth centre in the Excel chain opened in Walkden, close to Bolton, on 8th October 1964. […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 87 – Lee-West Lanes London Road Bedford
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The second Lee-West Lanes centre to open was the 20-lane bowl in Bedford which opened in October […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 86 – Fairlanes Bowl Franklin’s Gardens Northampton
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The Fairlanes Bowl in Northampton, the last centre to be opened in the Fairlanes chain, opened on […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 85 – Top Rank Savoy Bowl Promenade Blackpool
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The Top Rank Savoy Bowl situated on the Promenade in central Blackpool opened on 30th September 1964. […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 84 – Top Rank Bowl Tamworth Road Croydon Surrey
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 32-lane Brunswick equipped bowl, the 20th of the Top Rank chain, opened in a blaze of […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 83 – ABC Bowl Pinner Road Harrow Middlesex
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 28-lane AMF equipped centre, the 13th centre in the ABC bowling operation enjoyed a star-studded opening […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 82 – Windsor Lanes Castle Vernon Bowl Vernon Street Moor Lane Preston
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge On 12th August 1964 the privately owned 10-lane Brunswick equipped bowl opened in Vernon Street, Preston. Research […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 81 – Fraser Bowl Central Way Glenrothes Fife
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The ten-lane, privately owned, Fraser Bowl opened on 6th August 1964 and was fitted with lanes and […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 80 – Excel Bowl Grant Street Cleethorpes Lincolnshire
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The fourteenth centre in the Excel estate to open was the 32-lane bowl in Grant Street, Cleethorpes […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 79 – Excel Bowl Newcastle Road Sunderland
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The 32-lane Excel Bowl Sunderland opened on 30th June 1964. As was standard for Excel Bowling the […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 78 – Buccaneer Bowl Lee Tower Marine Parade East Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The building which housed this small bowling centre started life as the Tower Cinema which opened on […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 77 – ABC Bowl George Street Aberdeen
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The second bowling centre to open in Aberdeen within a short space of time in 1964 was […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 74 – Top Rank Bowl Pershore Street Birmingham 5
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge When the 32 lane Top Rank Bowl opened in Pershore Street, Birmingham it became the sixteenth centre […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 73 – The Granite Bowl 60 Loch Street Aberdeen
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The sixteen lane Granite Bowl was opened by a former Aberdonian, John Innes and his Canadian brother-in-law […]
History of Tenpin Bowling in the UK Part 72 – Ambassador Bowl Arundel Street Portsmouth
By Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association President John Ashbridge The first bowling centre to open in Portsmouth was the 24 lane AMF equipped Ambassador Bowl which […]