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Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Tuesday 1430 to 2130 Thorpe Station ๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰

[30/6, 08:23] Michael Noรซl Turner: +++++++
[30/6, 08:23] Michael Noรซl Turner: ๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰
[30/6, 11:51] Turner Home Michael:  745002 platform 2 -1P26 12:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (13:45) for 1P45 14:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 16:17 platform 11 -
[30/6, 11:53] Turner Home Michael: 745103 platform 1 -1P28 12:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (14:21) for 1P47 15:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 16:51 platform 9 -
[30/6, 11:56] Turner Home Michael: 745001 platform 2 -1P30 13:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (14:45) for 1P49 15:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 17:19 platform 12 -
[30/6, 11:57] Turner Home Michael: 745004 platform 1 -1P32 13:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (15:18) for 1P51 16:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 17:54 platform 9 -
[30/6, 11:57] Turner Home Michael: 745101 platform 2 -1P34 14:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (15:45) for 1P53 16:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 18:21 platform 7 -
[30/6, 11:58] Turner Home Michael: 745003 platform 1 1P36 14:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (16:19) for 1P55 17:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 18:50 platform 9 -
[30/6, 11:59] Turner Home Michael: 755403 755406 755331 platform 2 1P38 15:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (16:46) for 1P57 17:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 19:17 platform 12 -
[30/6, 12:00] Turner Home Michael: 745008 platform 1 - 1P40 15:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (17:20) for 1P59 18:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 19:53 platform 10 -
[30/6, 12:00] Turner Home Michael: 745107 platform 2 - 1P42 16:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at  (17:48) for 1P61 18:32 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 20:18 platform 11 -
[30/6, 12:01] Turner Home Michael: 745109 platform 3 1P44 16:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (18:18) for 5P44 18:40 Norwich Thorpe to CPD 18:58 -
[30/6, 12:01] Turner Home Michael: 745002 platform 2 9P46 17:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (18:39) for 1P63 19:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 20:47 platform 6 -
[30/6, 12:02] Turner Home Michael: 745103 platform 1 1P50 17:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (19:21) not for 1P67 20:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 21:49 platform 9 -
[30/6, 12:02] Turner Home Michael: 745001  platform 1 - 1P54 18:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (19:51) - not for 1P67 20:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 21:49 platform 9 -
[30/6, 12:03] Turner Home Michael: 745 platform 2 arrived at for 1P67 20:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 21:49 platform 9 -
[30/6, 12:03] Turner Home Michael: 745004 platform 2 1P56 18:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at ( 20:21) for 1P71 21:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 22:55 platform 11 -
[30/6, 12:04] Turner Home Michael: 720135 720567 platform 1 - 1P58 19:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (20:47) for 5P58 21:09 Norwich Thorpe to Crown Point |Depot 21:27 -
[30/6, 12:05] Turner Home Michael: 745003 platform 2 - 1P60 19:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (21:19) for 1P73 22:02 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 23:57 platform 7 -
[30/6, 12:06] Turner Home Michael: 755403 755406 755331 platform 2 - 1P62 20:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (21:49) -
[30/6, 12:07] Turner Home Michael: 745008 platform 2 - 1P64 20:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at (22:18)  for 1Y75 23:05 Norwich Thorpe to Ipswich 23:49 platform 4 -
[30/6, 12:07] Turner Home Michael: +++ Tuesday +++ 1430 to 2130 Thorpe Station ๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰๐Ÿš‰
[30/6, 14:07] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745110 Royal Dock notice at 1407
[30/6, 14:20] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745103 platform 1 -1P28 12:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1417 (14:21) for 1P47 15:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 16:51 platform 9 -
[30/6, 14:46] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745001 platform 2 -1P30 13:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1445 (14:45) for 1P49 15:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 17:19 platform 12 -
[30/6, 15:17] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745004 platform 1 -1P32 13:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1516(15:18) for 1P51 16:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 17:54 platform 9 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 15:48] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745101 platform 2 -1P34 14:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1549 (15:45) for 1P53 16:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 18:21 platform 7 -

745110 Royal Dock is dirty, can see full bin from coach B of 745004 ?
[30/6, 16:18] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745003 platform 1 1P36 14:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1617 (16:19) for 1P55 17:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 18:50 platform 9 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 16:43] Michael Turner ๐Ÿ˜‡ Voxi Network: 5P14 - 5P50
745110 Royal Dock at 1643 ? Dirty ๐Ÿคข
[30/6, 16:45] Michael Noรซl Turner: 755403 755406 755331 platform 2 1P38 15:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1646 (16:46) for 1P57 17:30 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 19:17 platform 12 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš–
[30/6, 17:19] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745008 platform 1 - 1P40 15:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1719 (17:20) for 1P59 18:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 19:53 platform 10 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 17:46] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745107 platform 2 - 1P42 16:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1746 (17:48) for 1P61 18:32 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 20:18 platform 11 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 18:25] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745109 

745010 platform 1 1P44 16:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1825 (18:18) for 5P44 18:40 Norwich Thorpe to CPD 18:58 -
[30/6, 18:37] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745002 platform 2 9P46 17:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1838 (18:39) for 1P63 19:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 20:47 platform 6 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 19:18] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745103 platform 1 1P50 17:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1919 (19:21) not for 1P67 20:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 21:49 platform 9 - quick clean ๐Ÿซง๐Ÿชฅ
[30/6, 19:31] Michael Turner ๐Ÿ˜‡ Voxi Network: 745103 platform 1 was super fast clean, under ten minutes , going to CPD Reception then Norwich Victoria Sidings
[30/6, 19:33] Michael Turner ๐Ÿ˜‡ Voxi Network: 745103 platform 1 left at 1932
[30/6, 19:48] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745001  platform 2- 1P54 18:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 1948 (19:51) - for 1P67 20:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 21:49 platform 9 -
[30/6, 20:20] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745004 platform 2 1P56 18:30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 2020 ( 20:21) for 1P71 21:00 Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street 22:55 platform 11 - cleaning ๐Ÿงน๐Ÿงผ inside and cabs ๐Ÿš– F to A
[30/6, 20:46] Michael Noรซl Turner: 745101 platform 1 - 1P58 19:00 London Liverpool Street to Norwich Thorpe arrived at 2047 (20:47) for 5P58 21:09 Norwich Thorpe to Crown Point |Depot 21:27 - super quick clean ๐Ÿซง๐Ÿชฅ ABCD ๐Ÿ”ก

The Bowling Pavilion in Mesnes Park, Wigan,

 The Bowling Pavilion in Mesnes Park, Wigan, was built to support the expansion of the park's sporting facilities. Its history is defined by municipal Victorian planning, local expansion, and a major 21st-century restoration.

1. Construction and Opening (1903)

The original bowling green and its accompanying pavilion structure were officially opened on 4 June 1903. [1]
  • The Culverting of Barley Brook: To create enough flat land for sports recreation, Wigan Corporation culverted the Barley Brook stream in 1903.
  • The Builders: The layout of the first competition crown green was executed by the park superintendent, Mr. Pettit. The actual timber and brick bowling pavilion structure was built by a local contractor, Mr. Ablett.

2. The 1920s Expansion

As crown green bowling grew massively in popularity across Lancashire after World War I, the sporting zone along the western edge of the park was heavily expanded. [2, 3]
  • A second bowling pavilion was constructed and opened by 1926, mirroring the development of further bowling lawns, putting greens, and tennis courts on leveled government-subsidized lands. [2, 3]
  • Wrought iron entrance gates and stone piers were added over time to separate the sports enclosure from the formal floral walkways of the main park. [4]

3. Decline and Vandalism (Late 20th Century)

By the late 1900s, declining municipal sports budgets and lower club turnouts left the bowling zone vulnerable. The pavilions ceased to be actively manned by park wardens, suffered from targeted local vandalism, and were eventually boarded up for safety reasons. [5]

4. Heritage Lottery Restoration (2013)

The structure was saved from complete structural failure when Wigan Council secured a multi-million-pound Heritage Lottery Fund grant to regenerate the park. [6, 7]
  • The building was completely refurbished, structurally stabilized, and stripped of its boards.
  • It was officially unveiled to the public during the park's grand reopening on 29 September 2013. [6]
While the grass greens in front of it have since been decommissioned and are now general lawns, the restored historic pavilion shelter stands as an architectural monument to the park's sporting heyday. [8, 9]
If you like, I can find out more about the main Pavilion Cafe building (the large two-storey structure in the center of the park) or look up old photos of the park from the early 1900s. [10]

Just some photos















The Sandys-Winsch Community Room is an integral heritage feature of Waterloo Park in Norwich. It is located on the first floor of the park's iconic Art Deco pavilion. [1, 2]

Origins and Early History

  • The Mastermind: The room is named after Captain Arnold Edward Sandys-Winsch. He served as the Norwich City Parks Superintendent from 1919 to 1953. [1, 3, 4]
  • Great Depression Relief: The entire park landscape was redesigned in 1929. Unemployed local men built it using post-WWI government relief funding. [2, 5, 6]
  • The Opening: The building officially opened to the public on 25 April 1933. The grand pavilion instantly became the focal point of the north end of the park. [6, 7]
  • Architectural Style: The pavilion was crafted in a striking Moderne (Art Deco) aesthetic. It utilized uniform reconstituted stone to harmonize with the park's colonnades and balustrades. [5, 8]

Evolution and Modern Use

  • Historic Controversy: In 1962, the local council spent £1,000 renovating the building. Local press heavily criticized this expenditure at the time.
  • Heritage Status: Today, the pavilion holds an official Grade II listing. The surrounding landscape is designated as a Grade II* historic park.
  • Community Revival: The space directly underneath the room operates as the Waterloo Park Pavilion Cafรฉ. The social enterprise The Feed manages both the cafรฉ and the room.
  • Current Purpose: It serves as a light-filled event space for hire. It hosts up to 60 people for community meetings, exhibitions, and local heritage events.
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If you want, I can provide details on:
  • How to book the room and current pricing
  • The history of Captain Sandys-Winsch's other parks in Norwich
  • The cafรฉ menu and community projects run by The Feed





Councils are reducing or stopping the use of public bowling greens primarily due to budget cuts, declining membership numbers, and high maintenance costs. Keeping a competition-level bowling green maintained can cost thousands of pounds per season, which many cash-strapped local authorities can no longer heavily subsidize. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key reasons include:
  • Severe Budget Cuts: Local authorities face financial pressures to balance budgets and often view heavily subsidized sports as a low priority. [4, 5]
  • Falling Demand: Many public crown green bowling sites have seen a massive drop in membership and regular players, making the cost-per-user highly disproportionate. [6, 7, 8]
  • Maintenance Challenges: Specialist upkeep is required, and councils are increasingly trying to pass these expenses directly to the local bowls clubs or transition them into community-run facilities. [2, 9, 10]
  • Site Redevelopment: In some cases, underused greens are being repurposed to generate council income or sold off for housing or alternative public spaces. [2, 4]
If you are looking for an active lawn in your area, tell me your postcode or general neighbourhood, and I can help you find open bowling clubs or local council lease consultations nearby.


Several private and community-run bowling greens operate near the NR3 1PA area in Norwich. Since the council has reduced direct management of local spaces, these dedicated clubs keep the sport running through active memberships and independent facilities.

Local Bowls Clubs Nearby


County Arts Club
  • 4.7 ⭐ (73)
    Bowling club
  • Norwich1.9 mi
  • Location: 8 Plumstead Rd, Norwich NR7 9ND
  • Details: This site hosts active competitive leagues (including the East Division 1 league) and internal club tournaments on an excellent shared green.
  • Facilities: On-site bar and free admission to watch or inquire.

Victoria Bowling Club
  • 4.9 ⭐ (9)
    Bowling club
  • Trafford Rd1.8 mi
  • Location: Trafford Rd, Norwich NR1 2QW
  • Details: A historic club operating on its site since the 1860s, offering traditional lawn bowls.
  • Facilities: Wheelchair accessible, now fully open to both male and female members.

Spixworth Bowls Club
  • 4.7 ⭐ (3)
    Lawn bowls club
  • Norwich3.4 mi
  • Location: Crostwick Ln, Spixworth, Norwich NR10 3NQ
  • Details: Highly rated by locals as a welcoming and friendly community club for new members looking to get into the sport.

Norfolk Bowling Club
  • 4.3 ⭐ (39)
    Club
  • 444a Unthank Rd2.5 mi
  • Location: 444a Unthank Rd, Norwich NR4 7QH
  • Details: Features both excellent grass lawns for the summer season and indoor rinks for year-round playing.
(Note: Ten-pin bowling options like Bowling House on Dereham Road and Superbowl UK in the Castle Quarter are also nearby, but focus on indoor alley bowling rather than lawn bowls).
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If you like, I can look into how to contact a specific club or check their membership fees for the current season.
There is no official, central tracking registry that provides an exact, definitive number of lawn bowls greens that have closed across Norwich in the last ten years.
Instead of a single mass closure event, the loss of playing fields has happened gradually. The decline is driven by individual pubs selling off their land, indoor facilities shutting down, and Norwich City Council transitioning greens to self-management models to cut maintenance subsidies.
The pattern of closures and site changes over the past decade highlights several key developments:

1. The Loss of Historic Pub Greens

For decades, many of Norwich's local bowls teams were anchored to community public houses rather than council parks. Over the last ten years, economic pressures on the hospitality sector have directly impacted the sport.
  • A prominent local example includes clubs losing long-term greens when pub landowners could no longer justify the roughly £1,000-plus annual lawn upkeep costs, or when pub sites were repurposed entirely. [1]

2. Transition of Council-Owned Greens

To avoid outright closures, Norwich City Council shifted its strategy from heavily subsidising the specialist staff required for fine-turf maintenance to requiring clubs to take over the work. [2]
  • Lakenham Recreation Ground: This remains a council-managed site where greens can still be rented out commercially.
  • Waterloo Park & Eaton Park: These major historic parks have seen their pavilions and open spaces adapted over time. While the physical green footprints often remain visible as open grass lawns, they are no longer consistently maintained to formal, competition-grade bowling standards unless an active club steps in to manage the turf. [3, 4]

3. Indoor and Commercial Alley Closures

The decline has also hit the broader indoor and alley bowling scenes in the surrounding area:
  • Indoor Rinks: Across Norfolk, dedicated indoor facilities have slowly dwindled over the years, restricting year-round play. For instance, Norfolk Bowling Club on Unthank Road maintains indoor rinks but has historically had to take one of its outdoor grass greens out of active use.
  • Ten-pin Closures: On the commercial side, the area has faced high-profile threats and closures. Plans have progressed to demolish long-standing recreational alleys, such as the Namco Funscape in Bowthorpe, to clear space for supermarket redevelopments.
If you are tracking a specific park or pub green in Norwich that has recently stopped operating, sharing the name of the park or venue will allow me to check local planning applications or council club minutes to see what happened to it.


The bowling greens at Waterloo Park were officially decommissioned by Norwich City Council in 2011. [1, 2, 3]
The closure and subsequent transformation of the space happened in phases:

1. The 2011 Decommissioning

The Friends of Waterloo Park partnered with Norwich City Council to absorb the redundant turf into other recreational spaces. The old, yew-hedged bowling greens were no longer viable due to low player numbers and the high cost of council upkeep.

2. The Splash Pad Expansion

When the council built the modern children’s Water Play Area (Splash Pad), they took the adjacent, disused bowls green and merged it directly into the play space. [1, 2]
  • The wire dividing fences were completely removed to double the physical size of the playground area.
  • Metal boundary railings from the other redundant bowling green were repurposed to make the new layout safe for families.
  • The water system was designed so that recycled water from the Splash Pad drainage was funneled into large underground storage tanks to water the remaining park landscaping. [1, 2]

What is there now?

While the competition grass is gone, the historic layout designed by Captain Sandys-Winsch in the 1930s remains completely visible. The hedge boundaries still stand, but the spaces inside them are now used as general open lawn space, a putting area, and an expanded playground near the Waterloo Park Pavilion Cafe.
Would you like me to look into where the former Waterloo bowls clubs relocated or check out other nearby clubs that still have active greens?


When the Waterloo Park bowling greens decommissioned, the players and clubs did not move as a single, collective group to a new home. Because it was a public park facility used by multiple casual teams and local league players, they dispersed across various remaining clubs in the north and east of Norwich. [1]
The main locations where the former Waterloo Park players relocated include:

1. County Arts Club (Plumstead Road)

The County Arts Club became the primary destination for many players from the NR3 area. Located just over a mile east of Waterloo Park, it offered the closest and most logical alternative. [2]
  • Why they moved here: It features excellent, highly maintained outdoor grass rinks and also provides indoor bowling rinks. This allowed competitive league players to keep playing nearby without losing their local connections. [2]

2. Thorpe Recreation Bowling Club (Laundry Lane)

Several players moving away from central council-run parks transitioned over to Thorpe Recreation Bowling Club in Thorpe St Andrew.
  • Why they moved here: It offered a stable, club-managed alternative that wasn't facing immediate threat from council budget cuts, ensuring long-term security for local league teams.

3. Spixworth Bowls Club (Crostwick Lane)

For players living slightly further north towards the edge of the NR3 boundary, Spixworth Bowls Club took in a number of casual and community-focused bowlers.
  • Why they moved here: It is widely recognized locally as an exceptionally welcoming and social club, making it a perfect fit for older players who were displaced when Waterloo Park's greens were converted into general lawn and play areas. [3, 4]

4. Eaton Park & Heigham Park (South/West Norwich)

A small portion of the more casual park bowlers shifted over to the city's other major historic parks. [5, 6]
  • While Eaton Park and Heigham Park have faced their own maintenance model changes over the decade, they kept their active greens going longer, absorbing some of the displaced public park foot traffic. [5, 6]
If you are looking to get back into the sport locally, would you like me to find the open hours or membership contact details for the County Arts Club or Thorpe Recreation Bowling Club?


Yes, the upstairs of the main pavilion building at Waterloo Park is open to the public, but its access depends on what is happening on that day.
The first floor houses the Sandys-Winsch Community Room and the building's roof terrace. [1, 2]
Access is split into two main formats: [3]
  • Public Events and Displays: When the room is not privately booked, the upstairs space is frequently opened by The Feed (who run the Pavilion Cafe) or the Friends of Waterloo Park. They use the first floor to host historical park exhibitions—such as displays on the history of the park and its old bowls clubs—as well as pop-up community choirs, yoga sessions, and live acoustic music from the roof terrace.
  • Private & Corporate Hire: The entire upstairs room can be closed off to the general public if it has been booked out for a private party, community group meeting, or corporate event.
Accessibility: The upstairs area is fully accessible to everyone. If you have mobility issues, a pram, or use a wheelchair, you do not have to use the main stairs; there is an operational passenger lift inside the cafรฉ that goes directly up to the first floor. [1, 4, 5, 6]
If you want, I can check the current opening hours for the Pavilion Cafe or look up how to book the upstairs community room for an event.


The current operating hours for the Waterloo Park Pavilion Cafe (run by The Feed social enterprise) follow their standard schedule: [1, 2]

Cafรฉ Opening Times

  • Monday to Friday: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
  • Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM [1]

Food Serving Times

  • Breakfast Menu: Available from opening until 12:00 PM
  • Cooked Lunches: Served from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (until 3:00 PM on weekends)
  • Cakes, Drinks, and Snacks: Available all day until closing [3, 4, 5]
(Note: The Waterloo Park grounds themselves open early every morning, and the main gates are locked daily at sunset).
If you like, I can give you the details on what is on the current lunch menu or look up the prices for booking the upstairs community room. [6]


The closures at the Mesnes Park bowling facilities in Wigan happened at two completely different times, as the Bowling Green and the Bowling Pavilion have separate histories. [1]

1. The Bowling Greens: Phased Decline (2010s)

The three crown green bowling greens located along the western edge of Mesnes Park did not close overnight due to a single council order. Instead, they suffered from a long period of gradual neglect and reduced usage. [2]
  • The 2013 Cutoff: When Wigan Council secured a massive multi-million-pound Heritage Lottery Fund grant to restore the main park, the funds were explicitly allocated to architectural monuments like the main cafรฉ pavilion and the bandstand. There was no funding left over to maintain or upgrade the sports areas.
  • The Final Abandonment: Left without budget for specialist turf maintenance, the greens rapidly deteriorated. By 2017, local councillors and users officially flagged the greens as unplayable. The area is now completely abandoned for sport, used casually by park visitors for dog walking and kids kicking footballs.

2. The Bowling Pavilion: Restored in 2013

The separate, smaller Bowling Pavilion structure (the "Bower" or shelter built near the greens) has a slightly different story:
  • It was originally closed and boarded up for a long period due to vandalism and structural decline.
  • However, unlike the grass lawns, it was included in the park's major restoration project. It was beautifully repaired and officially unveiled as part of the park's grand reopening on 29 September 2013.
  • While the restored structure stands, it is no longer used for its original purpose since the greens are gone. [3, 4]
(Note: If you are looking for active crown green bowls in the area, the private Wigan Bowling Green Ltd / Bellingham Bowling Club on nearby New Lodge remains open and highly rated by local players).
If you like, I can look up directions or contact details for the nearest active crown green bowling clubs in the Wigan area.