A History of Southey, written by the late H.D. Stovell to commemorate the Club’s centenary in 1986 states “Southey Bowling Club was founded in 1886 and its first green was besides the Freeman’s Arms Hotel in Merton Road (now known as Wimbledon Broadway). Another author A.R.G. Ashworth infers that habitués of the green at The WHITE HART in Kingston Road, Merton, moved to a new green at the Freeman’s Hotel. Another theory is that another bowling club formed at the White Hart earlier than 1886 moved to the Freeman’s Hotel and at that point adopted the name of Southey because of its proximity to the road of that name.
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