History of Godstone Bowling Club

In 1921, Godstone Bowling Club was formed by “seventeen local gentlemen” and the benefactor and Lord of the Manor of Godstone, Sir Bernard Greenwell, was invited to become its first President.  The annual subscription was set at five shillings (25 pence) and, while the newly-laid green was maturing, the tennis club allowed bowls to be played on court no.3, but only after 7.00 pm.

Only six matches a year were played against other clubs in those days but even so the original green didn’t last long, as it had to be re-turfed in 1930.  During the war years all matches were cancelled and the annual subscription was reduced to two shillings and sixpence, as only one rink was playable.  The full green was restored for the 1945 season and the Bowling Club began to thrive again, admitting ladies to the membership for the first time in 1950.

In 1964, Sir Peter Greenwell, son and heir to the late Sir Bernard Greenwell, made the Godstone Club premises, tennis courts and bowling green permanently available to the community of Godstone Village and the surrounding district, through the creation of a trust, the Godstone Institute Charitable Trust.  A year later in 1965, this enabled the purchase of a new pavilion which was erected by the members and is still in use today.

As we approach our 90^th Anniversary in 2011, it is good to reflect back on the generations of members who have enabled the Club to flourish since its inception all those years ago in 1921.  Today the Club has a very active fixture list against other clubs in Surrey and beyond as well as running internal competitions and organising tours both in the UK and abroad.

Above all, Godstone is proud to have retained a reputation for being an especially friendly Bowling Club and it is this spirit we will strive to maintain into the future.