Alum Chine BC: 1903-1940
B&DBA: A History of Current & Bygone Bowling Clubs
Alum Chine Bowling Club was the second founder club in the area. The particular location is now called Spyglass Point. Alumhurst Road that connects to the site, was built by around 1870, with the plot of land originally laid out by around 1902 as Alumhurst Gardens with an ornamental garden, fountain and informal walks. Shortly after, a bowling green and a small clubhouse were built.
The Alum Chine green was perched on the top of the West Cliff in Alumhurst Gardens and was opened in 1903. The club was certainly a founder member of the Association and played the first competitive Association match against Bournemouth. Bournemouth Council records that a pavilion was erected for the club in 1910. It appears that the original Alum Chine green may have had only 3 rinks, being extended to full size before the Association formed. Because of its position near the cliff edge, the green required regular and expensive work to prevent it becoming a victim of cliff erosion.
The club formed soon after the Bournemouth club as the first inter-club bowls match was arranged to take place early in the 1904 season at Alum Chine between the two clubs. But on the appointed day, the weather was wet and stormy. It is believed that Bournemouth club secretary and captain both walked along the beach from Bath Road to Alum Chine to ascertain whether the match would take place. When they arrived at the Alum Chine clubhouse, there was no one there. So they pinned a note to the door to show they had turned out and walked back to Bournemouth in the rain. The match was eventually played later in the season.
It appears that the Alum Chine club left the Association in about 1913 for reasons unknown, before rejoining in 1934, probably to seek the Association's help to stave off closure. Apparently, in 1928 there was a tennis court present too, which possibly replaced the bowling green at the time as it was not in the association at that point.
During the I930s, its existence had become so precarious that part of the green was actually over the cliff edge. By that time, the Borough Engineer had had enough of fighting what he saw as a losing battle and was willing to let the sea win. Although the engineer was keen to see the green close, the Parks Department won the day, arguing that the green was in an ideal spot for the visitors. Around this time - Argyll Bowls Club at the top of the cliff to the east - had a second green fitted. The relatively close proximity of the Argyll green, being able to cater for higher numbers, and not worry about their green falling off the edge of the cliff, meant that the engineer eventually got his way in 1940 when the green closed as a war economy measure, never to reopen.
Writing for the Association's 75th anniversary in 1981, Harold Broadfield notes that there was evidence that the green's location still existed, together with a small building that the Parks Department thought may have been the pavilion. It is unknown how soon after the pavilion disappeared. In the 1980s, the site was used as a playground, but this was no longer required when the Alum Chine playground was built in the mid 1990s.
In the centenary edition in 2006, it was noted the continued erosion had left only a small strip of the green in evidence and the pavilion' has been demolished. Today, however, apart from the relative flatness of the area compared to elsewhere in the near vicinity, it would be hard to imagine a bowling club ever in existence, and certainly not one that was potentially more than 3-rinks in size. One thing is for sure though, the views would have been incredible!