Thurston table installed in Winchester

[Geoff Large]

I have just dismantled a Full size table from near Potters Bar to errect near Winchester in the last two days , the table is an old Thurston although I cannot make my mind if it is the turn of the Century table circa late 1890s /1900s or may be a little earlier say 1880s . the slate thickness is only 1.1/2 inch , which is leaning towards this table being older than 1890s .
there is eveidence of a reblock and rerubber from the old large blocks down to the modern lower blocks and later rubber and the bolt hole's in the cushions had been plugged and redrilled .

although I cannot say too much about our client , the house was rather large to say the least with a 6 car Garage containing two classic Ferarri's and an Austin healey .
Large indoor swimming Pool with electric moving roof and side's to open to outside use , Gym , various water Feature's . ETC

So here is a couple of photo's of the table , the packing boxes in the back ground are visable as the removals firm was still unloading at the same time as the table install .
note the Rerubber badge of Thurston describing the newer faster lower cushion , this would have been fitted when the table was modified at cheyne walk workshops , the fitters would have fitted loan cushion while this work was being carried out , the table also had thurstons screw into the end cushion pocket plates and these can catch a few fitters out if they have not seen them before . this idea of making one end of the brass pocket plate threaded and the other just one pin , the end cushions only carry the female threaded socket , so you have to unscrew the net and leather strap from the side cushions and then the end cushion bolts to remove the pocket plates , when the end cushion is off you have to rotate the whole pocket assembley anti clockwise to unscrew the plate off the cushion , you have to repeat the process in reverse to reasemble , too messy an idea and not a good idea realy .

Geoff

[cally]

Nice to see/read how the other half live eh... 6 car garage, 2 classic ferrari's...nice.



Thanks geoff, always a pleasure too read bud....

[Geoff Large]

Just to show how the other half live , here is his Swimming Pool

[jrc750]

Thats a nice set up, any pics of the cars lol

[Geoff Large]

sorry too much info shown on a clients house could reveal where they Actualy live and invite some Criminal Activities , not saying from you , but from lurkers of such forums like this . we have to be very carefull we do not overstep confidentuality of our clients .

one of the Ferrari's used to be black but is now refurbished in blue with a new tan interior and first owner was Eric clapton , who has had many of these Cars over the years .

I have Eric Claptons old 9ft Billiard table from his house in surrey , sold to me by Pattie boyd ex wife of the late George Harrison and Eric clapton . and who the songs Layla and wonderderfull tonight where written for .

Geoff

[philip in china]

I see the Thurston's badge refers to London. When I was in Merseyside there was a big Thurston's place in Liverpool. Was this the same company?

[Geoff Large]

Sort of Phil but many years Later , Clare's of liverpool bought out Thurstons of London and Padmore's of Birmingham to form a trio company of Thurston Padmore and Clare's , but Clare's have had a recent thought on the age of Thurston's and now because of older Thurston's better history Standing and the first firm to use slate on the Bed , the firm is now just Called THURSTON .

If you are ever in liverpool again give them a phone as they have Norman clare's Museum of billiards at the premises , but you have to phone for an apointment to see it , you just cannot turn up .

Geoff

[100-uper]

I see the Thurston's badge refers to London. When I was in Merseyside there was a big Thurston's place in Liverpool. Was this the same company?

The badge illustrated dates between 1940 and 1963 so is not contemporary with the table. I don't know whether there is any additional markings which identify it as being a Thurston model.

[Geoff Large]

Peter it has Thurston screw off pocket plates only thurston did that design of pocket plate where one end of the corner plate screwed into the end cushion the other end of the pocket plate being a single pin design , not a good design realy and can catch a few fitters out who have not come across it before , circa around 1890s I think for this table , it has thinner slate's .
so no other Marking to relate it to being a Thurston make , but a Design of pocket plate that can .

[100-uper]

Looking through my images on file I have that identical leg shape from another table which was also ascribed to Thurston, so that attribution looks pretty definite. Less sure about your date though. I would be astonished if it turned out to be Victorian, unless it was something specially produced for Thurston by the Christopher Dresser school or a similar avant-garde designer. Victorians and simplicity in design are not common companions.

[Geoff Large]

There was another table that I worked on 2 years ago with the same pocket plate design , I think I wrote about it on this forum , a table once belonged to Tommy steel at a house in Richmond London , a simple basic design Tapered thin square leg with a pad foot on the thin tapered leg , this was by a Designer i forget the name that Thurston produced a table in his design
I also have worked on a thurston table with the same Pocket plate that has been in a Few hospitals in nottingham , it was Removed from the queens Medical Cemtre about 4 years ago , I think it was scrapped the pocket screw threads had been well worn out and pockets where falling down , the reason I date the table to around 1890s is because of the thickness of slate used at 1.5inch thick , by 1900 most manufacturers including Thurston where useing 2 inch nominal thickness slates , and it had 9 munting supports , under the slate which would help sagging prevention of the thinner slates , later Thurston tables having 6 munting supports for 2 inch slates .
and the cushions had been plugged and redrilled out , this being a Reblock Rerubber from the larger blocks of the old strip rubber to smaller blocks of the modern Strip rubber , in fact a reason why the table may even predate 1890 .
I understand by our earlier discussion on the country house table near Birmingham which was a1870s table , that strip rubber would still have been used for a few years after the New rubber style had been produced , but by 1890 I would think it would have been past it's sell by date to produce it on an upto date table , Thurstons and B&Watts trying to out do each other would only be useing upto date and newer methods of rubbering rather than the old rubber that used to be pre heated by the Zinc water cushion heaters .
which by the looks of the replugging and reboring of the cushions this table used to have on .
But the reason i have stopped at 1890 is those pocket plates , they would have been top plates if older .
But having stated all the above I could be wrong and the table could have had replacement slates on it , and because they are 1.5 inch the holes would have had to have been plugged and redrilled if the tabale had 2 inch slate thickness .
as you say Peter Victorians liked to elaborate in grand designs and make bold statements , but there where other manufacturers useing just simple designs one that i can think of and I have one of these table's myself ,in 3/4 form is John Palmer later to become John Palmer and son's by the turn of the Century .