At The Games Room Company we’ve always taken immense pride in the quality and the range of our offerings, but as time went by it became increasingly clear that a small but significant percentage of our customers were seeking pieces that were unique in some way.

This in turn led us to produce bespoke versions of existing products, where the customisation might take the form of personalised embossing, specialised finishes, or the printing of tailor made graphics on the playing surfaces of pool and foosball tables. We even found ourselves stripping down and re-modelling pinball machines according to specific themes, in one case turning the entire table into a full blown celebration of our client’s Limited Edition La Ferrari.

In time we were able to gather around us a team of highly skilled craftsmen and specialists who could not only modify these pieces under our direction, but could actually build them from scratch according to the most exacting brief. It was this that led to the design and manufacture of our first pool table, ‘The Pembridge’, in 2012, and the inception of a separate brand, ‘Waldersmith’, under the wing of The Games Room Company. Reginald Waldersmith founded the company back in 1962 and his son Alexander, current owner and CEO, felt that reviving the family name would be a fitting tribute to his late father.

‘The Olympian’ is now one of three bespoke pool tables that we manufacture to special order, the other two being the aforementioned ‘Pembridge’ and 'Shoreditch’. Although radically different from each other in terms of style and even construction methods, what they share is an unparalleled attention to detail, a commitment to the highest possible standards, and an underlying philosophy which holds that these ‘legacy pieces’ should last a century or more with no significant signs of deterioration.

Each of them is painstakingly handmade without compromise, which is why a lead time of several months is the norm. We don’t cut corners and we don’t outsource any part of the process beyond our small but highly dependable team. The principal design feature shared by all three pool tables is the discreet inclusion of table tennis tops, which by ingenious means are hidden below the slate bed and removed only when needed.

‘The Pembridge’ and ‘The Shoreditch’ are more comprehensively detailed elsewhere in this bespoke section but on this page we’d like to provide a closer look at the ‘The Olympian’, a pool table with the heft of a sacrificial altar and a feeling of monumental grandeur. The Olympian is usually finished in a combination of brushed steel and high gloss black lacquer, all of which adds considerably to its sense of power and presence, but as with the other tables it can be finished in any colour the client would like.

At either end the ‘push release’ drawers, almost invisible when closed, open to reveal a set of balls and a table tennis set, both of which sit snugly within the custom cutouts that have been created for them. The mechanism for affixing and tensioning the net is itself a thing of beauty and wonder, using precision engineering to great effect. The L-shaped post, which is finished in polished steel, brushed steel or brass according to taste, pushes into a recess within the edge of the table tennis top. Secreted at the far end of this hidden channel is an adjustable spring loaded mechanism and it’s the ‘push back’ from this tiny but clever device that keeps the net tensioned.

The table tennis tops themselves are stored within felt lined shelves beneath the main body of the table and this structure is kept to a minimal depth so as not to interfere with the clean lines of the piece. The tops necessarily comprise three identically sized sections as two would be too large to store neatly within the frame. When in situ the middle section bridges the centre area of the table bisected only by the net and the other two parts are located using reinforced ‘dominoes’, which effectively pull everything together in place. It should be noted that the inlays which feature on the pool table rails are echoed on the table tennis tops, performing the role that would normally be served by a painted white line whilst adding a touch of opulence. These are usually finished in brass or polished steel but other metals can be specified.

As with our other two bespoke tables, the design of The Olympian can of course be tailored to your exact needs. We start with the overall size but beyond that basic decision comes a range of options which is literally infinite in its scope. With today’s technology and our excellent team of craftsmen almost anything is possible, from mood under-lighting right through to highly specialised coverings. The proposed design is rendered as a high resolution visual before we start work so that everyone understands exactly what the finished piece will look like and there is ample opportunity to consider different options at that stage.

If you call us to discuss your requirements we will be pleased to prepare an initial visual and estimate with no obligation.

Why not include one of our superb cue racks in a chrome finish or brass finish...perfect!