Antique Orme & Sons Billiard, Snooker Table

Antique Orme & Sons Billiard, Snooker Table

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Reference

26426

Snooker, Billiard Table.
A late Victorian mahogany snooker, billiards table by Orme & Sons of Manchester. The table is with good colour and patination, a playing surface of slate covered in 100% English Wool napped cloth. The pockets are with brass inserts into the top of the cushion with leather covering and string net bags. The base with beaded frieze and raised on turned and reeded tapering legs.
There is an ivory plaque with the manufactures name on it.

Orme & Sons was founded in 1845 and originally traded under the name "Thomas and James Orme" and they supplied a large assortment of new and second-hand billiards and bagatelle tables, cues and racks, balls for billiards, pool, pyramid and bagatelle, rules of the games, score boards, in fact the full range of requirements. The company changed name to "Orme & Sons" around 1874 and were very active in promoting billiards competitions, and provided a trophy for the first billiard championship of Ireland in 1876.
Orme's expanded their operations to Glasgow in 1880 and acquired a Royal Warrant from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and used the Prince's feathers on their products and in their advertising. In 1881 Ormes were one of the first suppliers of 'Ivorine' (composition) billiard balls and in 1885 were instrumental in the formation of the Billiard Association. Upon the death of King Edward in 1910 Orme then received a warrant from King George V.
With the out break of the First World War the production of billiard tables halted and everything turned towards the war effort. After the war many of the skilled workers never returned and with a world-wide recession it was very difficult to return to the pre-war production. With many businesses struggling, in 1928, Orme and Sons joined with George Wright and Co. of London, and Fred Heyes, of Preston, with the new group trading as Orme and Sons Limited. Although now a larger company they still continued to struggle and in 1931 they shared their distribution facilities with Burroughes & Watts to help reduce their overheads, but still remain independent companies. This arrangement stood until the out break of the Second World War, which again brought all manufacturing activities to a standstill. After the war Orme's continued to advertise for a few more years but were eventually absorbed into Burroughs & Watts.

Dimensions:

Height 84 cm / 33 14"
Width 112 cm / 44 14"
Depth 207.5 cm / 81 34"
Period

1850-1899

Year

Ca. 1870

Medium

Mahogany

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