Holyport Real Tennis Club
51°29′35″N 0°42′50″W / 51.493°N 0.714°W
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The Holyport Real Tennis Club, formerly the Royal County of Berkshire Real Tennis Club,[1] operates the real tennis court at Holyport, Berkshire, England.[2]
The court was built in 1889 by Sam Heilbut as part of his Holyport estate. For years Holyport was owned by the Martineau family, and a real tennis club was formed in 1953. When the last Martineau, Mrs. Janne Cahill, died in the 1980s, a small group led by Chris Ronaldson, Colin Lumley, and other tennis enthusiasts bought the court and an area of surrounding land. The court is tucked behind a row of picturesque cottages on Holyport Street. The main house of the estate is now a nursing home.
The overall dimensions of the court are 111 feet by 38 feet 8 inches (33.83 × 11.79 m), with a floor of 96 feet by 31 feet 8 inches (29.26 × 9.65 m). The tambour is 18½ inches wide by 25½ inches deep (470 × 648 mm). The court is well lit by both a skylight and clerestory windows. About a hundred and fifty members of the Royal County of Berkshire Real Tennis Club use the court.
In September 1993, The Prince Edward first met his future wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones on the court. In 2005, Holyport hosted the Irish Open and Nationals.
References
- ^ "ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE REAL TENNIS CLUB LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ Mewshaw, Marc. "Wimbledon simply isn't real tennis". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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