Some Paper Mill workers, employed by Wiggins Teape Fine Paper Makers in Dover, formed Buckland Mill B.C. in 1927. In 1929 a bowls green was laid at the Crabble Mill site, belonging to Wiggins Teape, this along with Tennis courts, a Rifle Range and Social Hall formed Buckland Mill Sports and Social Club.
Buckland Mill B.C. continued to operate throughout the war years, with its membership growing steadily. In the 1970’s there was a surge in membership as bowls became more popular, many of these “new” members are still playing for the club today. In the 1980’s the Social Hall was converted into a licensed club, opening the way for associate members to join the bowls club.
During the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s the club was very aware that our bowls green was sited on a valuable asset, then owned by the Arjo Wiggins Fine Papers Company, and sought an assurance from each Mill Manager in turn that this asset would not be sold, leaving us homeless. Each manager in turn promised that if the Crabble site (by now a warehouse) was sold, the bowling green and social club would either be left, or be resited suitably elsewhere. Following these assurances the bowling club took over the maintenance of the bowls green from the company, spending many thousands of pounds on improving the green, pavilion, and surrounds, safe in the knowledge that we could continue to operate.
In 1998 the Crabble site was put up for sale, excluding the bowling green and social club. There was very little interest in the site, as it included a large old building which the local council was keen on keeping intact. In June 1999, it was announced that Buckland Paper Mill in Dover, the parent mill of the Crabble site, was closing. To our dismay, on contacting the company, we were told that as Arjo Wiggins would no longer have a presence in Dover the whole of the Crabble site would now be sold, with the loss of the bowling green and social club.
The Buckland Paper Mill continued to operate until June 2000, but the gates of the Crabble site were locked in January 2000 leaving us locked out of our “home”. Despite many approaches to Arjo Wiggins, asking, pleading, and begging to be allowed to continue to use our green the company sold Crabble in the summer of 2000.
In December 2000 we met with representatives of the new Crabble owners, to plead our case, and were told that they would look at the possibility of leaving the bowling green in place.
In February 2001 a planning application went before Dover District Council to build houses on the site and convert the warehouse into apartments, with no provision for the bowling green. After taking legal advice and seeking advice from the local council it appeared that we had little chance of stopping our bowling green being dug up. We decided to object to the planning application on the grounds that a sporting amenity was being lost to the local community, many of our bowling colleagues and friends rallied round and some 1800 objections were raised which held up the planning application.
After discussions with the planning office, an offer of putting a section 106 agreement on to the application, with £50K lodged with Dover District Council for the provision of a bowling green in the Dover Urban Area, was made. This money was to be for a replacement bowling green until March 2005 and then open space for a further two years before being returned to the developers.
Although we told those concerned that £50K was not anywhere near the amount needed, we were told that the project would not be able to afford any more than this. Planning permission was granted on the understanding that the £50K was forthcoming.
Buckland Mill B.C. was a very successful bowling club with more than our fair share of county badges won by both ladies and men. We have an enviable fixture list, and success in local, county, and national, competitions by ladies, men, and mixed teams.
We continued to compete in the Dover Mens and Ladies Leagues. We continued to operate thanks to the use of a bowling green 7 miles away in Folkestone, and playing some games away. A Buckland Mill triple reached the final of the Kent County triples and the semi-final of the English National Championships in 2004. Our ladies won the Dover Ladies League and the men reached the semi final of the prestigious Cox Cup.
We managed to keep our membership at a level high enough to fulfil our fixtures, but with limited new members (Dover people preferring to join Dover clubs and some members finding the travel difficult) we were beginning to experience problems. Regretfully some members stopped bowling altogether.
Buckland Mill B.C. had been trying, with the help of the Dover District Council Sports development Officer, for the next 7 years to find a suitable site to lay down a bowling green and build a clubhouse, the sites identified by Dover Council had all proved unsuitable for various reasons To purchase land and build a bowls club from scratch would be beyond Buckland Mill B.C. and although Sport England’s area representative favourably viewed the project four years ago, funds were more difficult to come .
In 2005 the club decided that there was no hope and started to make arrangements to wind up the club. At the eleventh hour Dover Harbour Board Sports and Social Club came in with a proposal to site a bowling green adjacent to the Social Club and merging with Buckland Mill Bowls Club. After meetings of the clubs the project went ahead. The land was on the site of an Army Barracks where officers’ quarters were. We demolished 2 houses to make room for the green and converted 2 more houses into a clubhouse.
The Harbour Board Social Club agreed to help make up the shortfall in funds above the £60K from D.D.C. and approximately £20K from B.M.B.C. to construct the green. Both clubs were willing to provide the labour required to prepare the land and convert the houses into changing rooms.
This work was carried out over the next year with many willing hands making a first class bowls facility.
Dover Harbour Board Social Club had a total membership of 945 of which 521 were family memberships with some 163 children under 10. Buckland Mill B.C. had 39 remaining members with many of the old members intending to return once a bowling green is returned to Dover. This was a considerable opportunity for the sport of bowls to grow at all levels including juniors and the disabled. With Dover being the Gateway to England and the motif of Wiggins Teape being a portcullis it was decided to call the club Gateway Bowls Club.
The Social Club although benefitting from income and support from the bowls club unfortunately could not continue to operate and went bust in 2010 leaving the Bowling Club needing to ask the Port of Dover for permission to continue to use the green. The Port of Dover gave the Bowling Club a lease with a peppercorn rent allowing Gateway B.C. to continue and flourish.
In 2015 a small bar was installed improving the income and social aspect of the club. In 2016/17 further improvements were made including removing a wall to open up the clubhouse making more room for teas and functions. Carrying on the job of improving the club a new kitchen was fitted, enlarging it by removing yet another wall. All of this work was funded by the club with no grants or loans with each improvement increasing the club income.
The sport of bowls is unique in the fact that it is a genuine family sport, available to everyone from 9 to 90 years old with no physical, age or gender restrictions on play.
In 2020 the owners of the land surrounding the club put in an offer to purchase our club, the Harbour Board told them that Gateway had to have first refusal on the land. The Harbour Board kindly gave us time to raise the money and after a lot of effort with grants etc we managed to get the money together and now we have the freehold and the club is ours forever.
In the last couple of years our membership has grown a little and we look forward to a long and happy future