Referring to a little souvenir booklet from 1909 written by the workers who created the Auchentibber Quoiting Green and surrounding gardens, these words tell of the creation of the Quoiting Green.
“Formation of Quoiting Green – Several of the men banded themselves together and elected to make a Quoiting Ground, quoits being considered by them to be the most popular form of amusement, suited to old and young alike. That was the beginning and the enthusiasm then aroused has never abated. On the contrary, it has grown keener, so much so that after a hard days work in the bowels of the earth, the men come in of an evening, all eager to lend a hand in the operations. No matter how arduous these may be, they look upon them not as toil, but as a pleasure, because they know and realise that they are helping to build up a true centre of rest and recreation, which is daily becoming more complete and more beautiful. The villager here is no drunkard, no faddist, but just an ordinary, every day miner, with an awakened interest in his surroundings, and united to his fellows by a bond of sympathy common to all.”
These were everyday miners, coming off shift, looking forward and without complaint, working very hard, presumably in the evenings to carve out the land, flatten out the green, elevate the terraces and construct stonework, woodwork and undertake planting. We begin to understand what an incredible labour of love this was. How difficult the task would have been without earth moving heavy equipment of today.
The four photos, previously unseen online show the statues in the gardens in 1909. Namely Hercules standing by a club, Arion and his dolphin, and 2 photos of the tall and impressive Neptune Statue with trident. I can only imagine where these statues are now.
