Games

boys playing marbles

www.streetplay.com/ thegames/marbles/

Before the advent of television and computers, children would entertain themselves with all sorts of made-up games that still exist in some form or other today.

On this page you can explore recollections of two games called 'Release' and 'Alleys'. You can also explore other street games children used to play in Brighton and Hove throughout the year in  Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter - Seasonal games .

You can download Games and its accompanying page by clicking here (PDF format).

'Release'

To the deafening roar of 'REE-LEESE', Bertie's mates were freed and the defenders scattered. If it had only been the defenders who were scattered, no doubt Release would have endured as a game. But Bertie did not discriminate, and following the scattering of several innocent pedestrians, and the loss of one old lady's half pint of stout-in-a-jug, and under the threat of 'I'm goin' ter get a bobby up to you lot,' the game's popularity waned. We kids were a law-abiding lot, but there were few among us without some unpunished mischief on our conscience. And the grown-ups knew that the threat of a 'copper' usually had the desired effect. Bear Road was not on a regular beat (perhaps the climb up the hill did not appeal to the force), so when we did see a policeman we made ourselves scarce.

'Grandmother' then said 'yes' or 'no'. But I don't think it mattered a lot what she said, as the inevitable outcome was a lot of screaming, scratching, and pulling hair, which they all seemed to enjoy very much. It all proved to us lads what a daft lot girls were.

'Ree-leese' as we called it, was the noisiest and most rowdy game of all. It was like Tin Can Copper without the tin, and played between two teams. I cannot say 'equal' teams, because it was a foregone conclusion that the team with Bertie Mellors in it would come off best (I can't say it would win, because here was another of those games which 'broke-up' rather than arriving at a win-or-lose conclusion). One team scattered and hid, and the others set out to find them and bring them all back to 'prison' - an area formed by the lamppost, fire-call and back wall. Any prisoners incarcerated therein could be released by one of their team-mates dashing across the prison area and shouting 'REE-LEESE'.

Bertie was an oversize lad, weighing, I suppose, something in the region of twelve stones, and sporting an enormous size in boots. The sight and sound of this great mass thundering down the hill was something terrifying. The Brighton Belle leaving Clayton tunnel had less impact on the atmosphere than Bertie in full flight.
Sid Manville - Everything Seems Smaller

'Alleys'

Another game which was extremely popular was 'alleys', these alleys were, of course, glass marbles, multi-coloured and much to be coveted. I recall the so-called 'blood alleys' as being the favourite, and these were white with swirls of red through them. We would bring out our alley bags, which we would have coaxed our mothers to make (these were of any piece of highly patterned cloth and with the mouth capable of being closed with a drawstring) and into King Street we would troop. Up and down the gutters we would play, each youngster trying to win as many alleys as possible. Much shouting and cries of pleasure, or dismay, dependant on how one was treated by lady luck.

Occasionally an alley would pop onto the pavement and then invariably roll down into somebody's 'area'. These 'areas' were spaces, perhaps extending from the front of a house into the pavement by about a foot, and were covered with a grating, their purpose was to allow light into the basement room. Many cries of dismay followed this event, until someone, who was in favour with his mother at that time, was persuaded to return home and beg the use of the clothes prop and a piece of soap. A quick hoist of the prop up-wards and the alley would be retrieved. Dash home with the prop and off would go the game again.
Victor Henry Cox - Backyard Brighton