Dear Editor
For a second year, we have had the pleasure of hosting visitors to the Jane Austen Festival at our lawns. Many had travelled from across the globe, with at least 18 countries represented so far, and some will be returning to find croquet courts to continue the sport at home. We also had visitors for a second visit as they had had such a good time in 2023.
Each day we have welcomed our guests to experience the sport of croquet. All received tuition from our enthusiastic and supportive members and thoroughly enjoyed putting their newly learnt skills into practice. We then retired to enjoy refreshments in our comfortable clubhouse.
Many of our visitors were in full Georgian costume and this offered opportunities for magnificent photos, as captured by Bath member Martin Alabaster.
Many thanksÂ
Lynne Passfield
Chair, Bath Croquet Club
To join the croquet club and for more information visit https://www.bathcroquet.com/
The Jane Austen ends on September 22, 2024. Visit: https://janeausten.co.uk/pages/festival-home-page?srsltid=AfmBOor3QFzFXq0VQ_a0UL4EYthhtQxwdvlDxrrqz_WmIon3eZoaiNgo
Editor’s Note: The residents of Bath in the time of Jane Austen would most likely have played Pall Mall – the forerunner of croquet imported from France in the previous century. By the 1860s the invention of cylinder lawn mowers heralded a new era in lawn sports with neatly trimmed grass making croquet and later lawn tennis possible and popular – especially as both men and women could play at the same time.