The
village of Harefield had a few bowling greens prior to the war
and one of these was at the end of Vernon Drive. During the war
this fell into disuse.
A
Dr Stokes from Harefield Hospital was keen for the employees to
have their own green so he gave permission to build a green in
the hospital grounds. At the start, all the members were employees
and their spouses.
Dr
Stokes became the first president of the club.
The
green was half made up of grass from Rickmansworth Tennis Club
and the rest was seeded. However, the green was undersized.
In
the first season the club lost every single game they played,
but it was a start.
Around
1955 the council built a green in Taylor Meadow and a rival club
was formed. This was eventually disbanded around 1961.
In
1972 the hospital bowls club transferred to Taylors Meadow because
the cost of maintaining the green in the hospital became too great.
The club still maintained its links with the hospital through
the sports and social club.
In
1988 the hospital sold a large piece of its land which included
its sports and social club. It was decided not to re-house the
club, so all ties with the hospital were lost. The club at Taylors
Meadow decided to keep the name Harefield Hospital Bowling Club.
Since
this time the club has had a number of major successes on the
bowling green.
Between
2002/2003 season, the club underwent a major rebuilding program
and a big new extension was added to the pavilion, giving us far
more room to hold social functions.
A
major part of the work was carried out by the members themselves.This
included a new kitchen area and a bar.
This year is our 60th Anniversary which we are celebrating with a E.B.A. Presidential Game and Bannerette Matches , also our own Birthday Celebrations on 8th July.