Balham Bowls Club, Balham (BBC Bar & Restaurant)

Built as Balham Club, then Balham Bowls Club (bowling green sold off) this became a pub in 2006 and has a multi-roomed interior with lots of inter-war fittings. From the front door a passage with fielded panelling turns to the left into the public bar. This has a parquet floor, curved fielded panelled bar counter which floor markings on the front left indicate has moved slightly. The front is painted black and the bar back fitting looks to be from the inter-war period but lower shelves lost to fridges. There is an inter-war brick fireplace painted black and the walls of the room has quality fielded panelling. Look for the bell box with the very members club-like room names such as ‘Concert Room’, ‘Billiard Room’, ‘Card Room’ and ‘Board Room’.

A wide wood panelled-lined arch at the back of the public bar leads to the rear room with a parquet floor and lots of quality fielded panelling on the walls apart from one bare brick wall on the right. Note the bowling numbers high up on the wall. In the middle of the building is a small room with parquet floor, more fielded panelling to picture frame height all around and a 1930s brick fireplace painted black. The rear right large room has a modern servery and the only items of interest are the bowls clubs artefacts, scoreboards, rolls of honour etc.

The front right room was the billiards room and still retains some of the raised fixed seating in the front window area and the lighting structure that hung over the table is now a feature on the wall. There is an early 20th century red glazed brick, cast iron and wood surround fireplace and the rear wall is full of bowls numbers in a checker-board style. Dado panelling runs all the way up the staircase to the first floor where there is a large concert room with a segmental barrel vaulted ceiling.