Bowling at Vintners Lanes

From our studio, you can literally see the neon glow through the windows of the newly opened Vintners Lanes, it’s above Davy’s, the wine cellar (and seller) where you’ll sometimes find us celebrating or commiserating together. There couldn’t be a more convenient venue for us.

Yes, I know we’re all about ‘culture’ and immersing ourselves in live entertainment. But it had been a special day at Cog, team members had travelled from all over the country to spend time in the studio – Cornwall, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Somerset, Tyne & Wear, plus Kent and a broad spread of London boroughs. So it felt entirely appropriate that we spend the evening in an environment where we could chat, drink and eat whilst throwing heavy balls at skittles.

I was apprehensive as we headed up the stairs of what had once been a storage warehouse. In fact, last time I’d been in there it had been home to a pretty shabby screen-printing workshop so I was struggling to imagine it as much else.

I was, if you can pardon the terrible pun, bowled over.

The interior is stunning, somehow dark and semi-industrial and warm and comfortable, with visual motifs that referenced both bowling and the heritage of the space.

This is no cheap renovation using ‘reclaimed’ bowling kit. It’s all brand new and highly polished. There’s a large bar area, separated from the six lanes, plus a quieter space for eating, drinking and watching the action.

In fact, in researching this article, I’ve found that Vintners Lanes in Greenwich was voted the best in the world at the 40th Annual Bowling Centre Architecture and Design Awards in Texas.

Congratulations to whoever commissioned and actioned it all.

We bowled – two frames.

We ate – surprisingly great pizzas and impeccably prepared burgers.

We drank – a great selection of beer and cider, rhubarb gin and a good range of alcohol-free.

We laughed – a lot. We are not great bowlers but we really enjoyed it.

When I go bowling (which I probably average two or three times a decade) I always think I should go more. It’s fun and it must be something that you could improve on with practice.

At least that’s the theory. In reality I don’t think I am any better than I was when I went bowling for the first time (in Bexleyheath in the late 1970s).

I’m reminded of Aaron Sorkin’s Newsroom – I am reminded of Sorkin’s writing at some point, most days – and the scene where the head of the news division, Charlie Skinner tracks down unemployed producer, Mackenzie, at 11am in a bowling alley on a weekday. She’s a couple of beers in and looks very relaxed….

Charlie: You’re serious about bowling?
Mac: I just took it up recently. I bowled a strike once when I was a little girl and it seems to me if you can do it once, then you should be able to do it 12 times in a row, which would be a perfect game.
[Mac bowls the ball and it swerves into the gutter].

On this day I was lucky.

I was lucky because I got to spend time with my excellent colleagues to let off some steam and prepare for a big website launch the following day.

And I was lucky because I happened to knock down more wooden pins than other people. Although that really was more luck than skill.

I would definitely recommend Vintners Lanes to anyone – maybe you’ll be as lucky as me.

Illustration by Sophie Moran for our Cultural Calendar.