Billiard room

History

Billiards probably developed from one of the late-14th century or early-15th century lawn games in which players hit balls with sticks. The earliest mention of pool as an indoor table game is in a 1470 inventory list of the accounts of King Louis XI of France.

Following the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, billiard rooms were added to some famous 18th-century cafés in Paris and other cities.

Although billiards had long been enjoyed by both men and women, a trend towards male suites developed in 19th century Great Britain. These male suites paired billiard rooms with smoking rooms and sometimes libraries. One example of these male suites is Castle Carr near Halifax. By the turn of the century, billiard rooms were considered a standard feature in great British houses with House Beautiful claiming "Up-to-date owners of English estates have installed billiard rooms..." Many mid- and late-19th century billiard rooms were designed in an Oriental or Moorish style. Mark Twain's billiard room in Hartford, CT was decorated with quasi-Moorish stencils. The late 19th and early 20th century represent the billiard room's heyday.

File:Billiard Room - Mark Twain House.tiff|Billiard Room of Mark Twain House File:Sketch of The Club, Bedford Park, 1880.jpg|Sketch of The Club, Bedford Park, 1880

References

References

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4. (1999-01-01). "Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present". Oxford University Press.
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6. (1908). "House Beautiful". Hearst Corporation.