National Badminton Museum has recently acquired a 1840s battledore shuttlecock.
Photos: – Geoff Hinder. Click on images to enlarge
The battledore shuttlecock has a brown velvet base with a wool trim and 31 goose feathers. It has a diameter 110 mm x 130 mm high, which is about twice as big as a modern shuttle. The shuttlecock weighs 49.43 grams, which is about 10 times heavier than a modern shuttle. In the inside of the base it is stamped ‘PLOMBE’, we believe the shuttlecock was made in France.
The game of ‘battledore and shuttlecock’ dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The roots of the game have been reported to go back to ancient times in China and other Asian countries. The game was played with rackets, battledores and even wooden paddles. ‘Battledore and shuttlecock ‘was played without a net and without the boundary lines of a court. If a single player played, they would hit the shuttle in the air counting the number of times they could do this without it falling on the floor. If two or more players played they would hit the shuttlecock back and forth to each other, it was usually a cooperative rather than a competitive game, the players purposely hit the shuttlecock towards rather than away from each other, their goal was to have as long a rally as possible keeping the shuttlecock up in the air and counting the number of consecutive successful strokes in each rally. The present-day game of badminton developed from this much older game of ‘battledore and shuttlecock’. Badminton was being played in at least 1863 and maybe a few years before that.
For more information on the Game of Battledore and Shuttlecock – Click Here.
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This shuttlecock and many more can be seen at the National Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA
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Shuttle display case at the National Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes.
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Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time
The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.
Free Admission.
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Accessibility
The National Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.
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There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.
Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.
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National Badminton Centre
Lodge Hotel.
For more information and to book a room – Click Here.
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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the National Badminton Museum please contact us at: –
museum@badmintonengland.co.uk
Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the National Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.
The National Badminton Museum is a small charity administered by volunteers. Help preserve the history of badminton by making a donation or becoming a ‘Friend of the Museum’. Any donations to the National Badminton Museum will help us to expand the collection of memorabilia, books, and documents to make these items readily available to all.
To become a ‘Friend of the Museum’ or to make a donation to the National Badminton Museum online or by cheque go to: – ‘Home’ – ‘Friends and Donations’. – Click Here. or use the QR Code – Thank you.
