Croquet has a surprisingly long and lively past. Its earliest ancestors were old European lawn games where players knocked balls around with mallets and guided them through simple arches. Medieval games like la soule in France and Britain, along with early ground‑billiards traditions, helped shape the basic idea of hitting a ball across grass with a stick. By the 1600s, the game pall mall added the key feature of sending a ball through an arch, bringing croquet even closer to the version we know today.
The modern game really came together in the early 1800s, with Ireland playing an important role in spreading it to England. By the mid‑1850s, the first official rules were written, and croquet quickly became a social favourite. The 1860s were its big moment, with clubs forming everywhere and the sport spreading across the world.
This boom even led to the founding of the All England Croquet Club at Wimbledon. The lawns that later became famous for tennis originally hosted croquet, and the club’s early success helped cement the game’s popularity.
Although croquet eventually lost ground to lawn tennis, it made a strong comeback in the 1890s and continued to evolve. Scotland added its own flair with the unique Eglinton Castle style, which featured extra hoops, bells, and tunnels, giving the game a distinctive regional twist.
Today, croquet is enjoyed for its mix of strategy, skill, and relaxed social fun, all built on centuries of playful tradition.
