How Not to Die Playing Billiards in 19th-Century Stornoway

Billiards, a game of precision, skill, and patience, was once a rather perilous pastime in the capital of the Isle of Lewis—Stornoway. For those unacquainted with the peculiarities of the town’s 19th-century billiard hall, it may seem absurd that a gentleman could find himself in mortal danger over a simple game. And yet, for those who dared to wield a cue in that legendary establishment, survival was anything but guaranteed.

From treacherous playing surfaces to cannonball-sized balls and an audience prone to enthusiastic imbibing, the Stornowegian billiards scene was an exercise in both sporting excellence and self-preservation. If you were planning to play a match at the famed table beneath the Freemasons’ Hall, you’d do well to follow a few key survival strategies.