New Book Celebrating Peterborough Lawn Bowling to Launch at Trent Valley Archives Open House

By Scott Arnold

A new book documenting 125 years of lawn bowling in Peterborough will be launched during an open house at Trent Valley Archives on Saturday, September 19th.

trent Valley Archives is hosting a public Open House and launch for its newest book, “Bowling on the Green – 125 Years of Lawn Bowling in Peterborough” by archivist Dr. Elwood Jones and member Steve Russell

Trent Valley Archives, located at 567 Carnegie Avenue, is inviting the community to drop in from 11am to 1pm for the open house and launch of Bowling on the Green – 125 Years of Lawn Bowling in Peterborough, written by archivist Dr. Elwood Jones and Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club member Steve Russell.

The book looks back at the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club’s history, which dates to its beginnings at the Stevenson Greens in 1901. Over the years, the club faced challenges involving locations, expertise, lighting and lawn maintenance while moving between several sites in the city.

One of the more unusual moves came in 2011, when the club relocated from downtown to Nicholls Oval. The clubhouse was transported across the Otonabee River at the Inverlea Bridge, allowing the historic building to make the move to its new home.

At Nicholls Oval, the club shared space with the Peterborough Rugby Club for awhile before relocating in 2015 to the McDonnel Street Activity Centre, where lawn bowling continues today.

The book explores not only the club’s history, but also how it reflects the changing lives of Peterborough’s professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs and employees, as well as the support it received from different parts of the community over the years.

During the open house, visitors will also have an opportunity to explore the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club collection at Trent Valley Archives, along with more than 1,200 other collections held by the Archives.

Copies of Bowling on the Green – 125 Years of Lawn Bowling in Peterborough are $45 and will be available for purchase at Trent Valley Archives and the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club.

The open house is free to attend and offers a chance to learn more about both the history of lawn bowling in Peterborough and the archival resources available to the community.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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