History

1903 is the first date Indoor Bowling is mentioned so far found in any local records, the mention came soon after the Shelter Hall (now the Bexhill museum) was built in Egerton Park in that year. The idea was that a Temporary Green to play Indoor Bowls would be laid down so that it could be removed when the hall was being used for meetings and Concerts.

We do not know if the Shelter Hall was ever used for Indoor Bowling at this time as no hard evidence is available but we do know that in 1907 the then Borough council put aside £15 for an Indoor Rink to be provided in the Hall. Little is still known after this date whether Indoor Bowling ever came to fruition in Bexhill but the seeds were definitely sown in someone’s mind well before this later date as is shown later.

Outdoor Bowls had been played on Public Greens in Bexhill since 1907 when the first Green was opened in Egerton Park. Previous to this the game of lawn Bowls was played mostly in private gardens just like croquet.

Bexhill Bowling Club was the first established club in the town, although there was a previous attempt by St Barnabas Cricket Club a few years earlier to start a Bowling Club but it failed to prosper.

Also at this time we know that a Pergola was also in place in Egerton Park for open air concerts and services and was much in use for public meetings. This was on the future site of the Pavilion and the current Centre.

In 1933 the Egerton Park Pavilion Theatre was built, a design being chosen so that in the winter the auditorium could be used for Indoor Bowling Rinks. It was then known as one of the earliest indoor Bowling Centres in the Country.