Croquet at Ham House

 

 
Croquet came to Ham House in S.W. London on a sunny June weekend, as Jaques of London held two of their Family Fun days there in conjunction with the National Trust. Along with other outdoor games, five short lawns were laid out for croquet and lots of people, with lots of children, came to have a go. Members of Ember Croquet Club, Esher joined Ben Jaques and his son Tom in providing instruction and assistance, which were eagerly welcomed
 
Faint hopes of finding new club members were dashed as so few of the visitors were local, but helpers found sufficient reward from the enthusiasm of the mostly novice players and the congenial surroundings, marred only by the house being shrouded in scaffolding. At a time when there has been talk of croquet ‘croaking’ by 2037, it was an opportunity to help maintain public awareness of the game, and perhaps even spark a germ of interest here and there in the next generation of potential players.