Antique Billiard, Snooker Score Board, Cabinet in Mahogany

About the Item

Burroughes & Watts Billiard Buffet Style Scoreboard, Life Pool. An exceptionally high quality, imposing billiard scoreboard by Burroughes and Watts of London, made in three sections. The top section being an impressive, combined billiards and life pool scoreboard made of mahogany which sits upon a lockable ball cabinet that can house thirty-two balls. To either side of the ball cabinet there is a lockable coin well for the game of lifepool. This in turn sits upon a buffet cupboard base. The base with two drawers and undertier below, over a cupboard with two doors, raised on turned feet. The whole cupboard with Moorish influenced decorative detailing. The scorer comprises of two black rollers with gold painted numbers, 0 to 20 / 20 to 40 / 40 to 60 / 60 to 80 / 80 to 100, with two slides in the form of inverted pear drops with coronets to mark your score, one spot and one plain. There is a central slate chalk board that can be revolved to reveal a beveled mirror. The Life Pool board consists of ten slides with colour names and discs, each representing the player's cue ball and the order of play. The gold painted colour names being white, red, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, spot red, spot white and spot yellow. When each slide is pulled back 3 mother-of-pearl discs are revealed, one for each life of the player. There are also "stars" hiding, and these are used as extra lives. This Burroughes & Watts billiard room furniture is perfect for a whole host of spaces around the home due to its excellent versatility and functionality. As well as the billiard room it could be placed anywhere in the home, or office. Would sit well in a kitchen, eggs could be stored in the ball cabinet, the slate used for your shopping list and the cupboard for pots and pans. The game of Life Pool is essentially a gambling game, hence the built-in lockable coin wells in this scoreboard. The stake money is placed into the slots at the top of the coin well, the money staying visible throughout the game. Once the game is over the winner can unlock the coin drawers and the money drops into the collection wells. Life pool can be played by a number of players, a maximum of ten players with this scoreboard, who form the pool. Each player has their own coloured ball and loses a life each time the ball is potted by an opponent. When three lives are lost an extra life can be purchased, this is represented by the 'star'. This can be done up to 3 times before the player finally has to leave the game. The last player standing is the winner.

Dimensions:

Height: 80.71 in (205 cm)Width: 50.79 in (129 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Mahogany

Place of Origin:

England

Period:

1890-1899

Date of Manufacture:

Circa 1890s

Condition:

Repaired: Replacements of small pieces of wood . Wear consistent with age and use.