With the Winter Olympics now in full swing, some of you may have seen Great Britain’s stellar performance in the curling, but did you know that Preston is actually home to the oldest curling club in England and that it all started in a pub?
Early days
Curling has its roots in Scotland with the sport being depicted in paintings from the 16th century and the first written record appearing in 1540. This written piece reported a challenge between a Paisley Abbey Monk and an Abbott representative in which the monk threw a stone along a frozen loch three times and it was agreed to be a contest. By the 1800s official rules had been formed and curling as we know it was created.
Curling arrives in Preston
Curling started to gain popularity across the country particularly after 1838 when the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was founded in Edinburgh, the first to adopt official rules. This club eventually caught the attention of a group of Preston men and at an 1871 meeting at the Red Lion Pub, now a Popworld, they decided to create a curling club in Preston.
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Early matches and harsh winters
By January 1875 they were training at a rink in Farringdon and played their first games against nearby clubs such as the ‘Rose and Thistle Blackburn’. In 1878 the country was hit with one of its harshest winters, seeing temperatures drop to as low as -18℃. However, this was good news for the curling club as multiple reservoirs and rivers froze over, giving them ample space to practice and hold local contests. The same year, they also competed for the Caledonian medal, both at home and away, demonstrating the quality of the club’s curling.
New spaces
By late 1887 the team was growing and needed another training ground. To achieve this they agreed to rent a patch of low-lying, flooded land near the stadium for £30 a year. This was to be their Deepdale rink. Investing in the additional space paid off and by 1902 the club had upwards of 90 members. In 1909 they moved to a rink in Ribbleton and between 1911-1964 they trained in the Manchester Ice Palace. During another cold winter in 1933 they were also able to skate on Fulwood’s old reservoir which had frozen over.
Growing success
Preston’s curling club continued to go from strength to strength and in April 1920 they won the English Newall Cup after winning the final 8-7 and reached the final of the L’Anson cup twice. Despite this, the jewel in their crown was when they were invited to compete in the Curling World Championships in 1934 where they competed against 100 other teams and reached the final 16.
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Traditions on and off the ice
In 1966 the club also started a new tradition, an annual match between Preston and Dalbeattie in Scotland. It remains a highlight for the club with the prizes including a haggis for the best Preston team and Lancashire cheese for the best Dalbeattie team!
Matches weren’t the sole focus of the curling team in the early years, they also enjoyed a night out! In the years leading up to the Second World War, the Preston Curling Club’s annual dinner was a major date in their social calendars. Players and members met alongside local dignitaries for an evening of fun, speeches and socialising. Historian Keith Johnson notes that the event was popular enough to attract well-known local figures, including Lancashire Evening Post cartoonist Furnival, who attended one of the dinners and produced a cartoon capturing the spirit of the occasion. In 1921 the club’s 45th annual dinner and 50th anniversary celebration was held at the Bull and Royal Hotel!
The Flower Bowl
Curling in Preston continues to go from strength to strength particularly since the opening of The Flower Bowl in 2018. The club now trains at the centre, has around 100 members and hosted a range of events including international bonspiels and the Four Nations tournament. If you fancy giving curling a go, The Flower Bowl’s hosts multiple ‘try curling’ sessions!
From a meeting in a Preston pub to competing against the world’s best, the story of Preston’s Curling Club is one of quiet sporting achievements. As you enjoy the highs and lows of the Winter Olympics this year, be sure to remind your friends and family that Preston can rightly claim its place in the sport’s history!
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