Leamington Real Tennis Club

The Leamington Real Tennis Club comprises a real tennis court dating from 1846 with a clubhouse of 1847 and alterations of 1854, designed by John George Jackson of Newbold Lodge, Leamington. The building is constructed of pinkish-brown brick in English Garden Wall bond, with a painted stucco front facade, unpainted stucco to a right-hand extension, and a Welsh slate roof.

The original plan included an off-centre hall with a smoking room to the right and a reading room to the left, a billiard room to the rear right, and the real tennis court to the rear left. The exterior is two storeys high, with nine first-floor windows, three of which are set back. A plinth is visible to the right of the front facade. A two-storey extension is positioned to the right, featuring a blind window and a single-storey extension. The main entrance features a 6-panel door within a rusticated surround, topped by a Doric porch with paired engaged pilasters, a frieze, metopes, a dentil cornice. Six 6/6 sash windows are present, some with original etched glass in plain reveals, with sills and tooled architraves incorporating a frieze and cornice. To the right of the entrance are two 3/6 sash windows with sills, continuous frieze, and cornice. The first floor has 1/1 sashes, also with sills and tooled surrounds, and a continuous sill band to the three right-hand windows. A frieze, cornice, moulded detail sits above the three right-hand windows, topped by a blocking course. Ridge and end stacks are visible.

The interior features a dining room, formerly a billiard room, at the rear, which has an apse with a marble fireplace, dado rail, moulded cornice, and peep-holes to doors. The two-storey tennis court has a balustrade to the front and left side, featuring turned posts, and a large tripartite window with three 12-pane lights on the first floor. Four-panel doors are present throughout. An open-well staircase possesses a cast-iron balustrade with a paterae motif and a wreathed handrail. The hall boasts a Coalbrookdale tile floor, and reading rooms are located at the front. Dr Jephson and Lord Brooke were among the committee members who promoted the tennis court, which required approximately £2,000 raised by shares.

Historically, this is the oldest public gentleman’s tennis club, with the first game played on 29 December 1847. John George Jackson was commissioned to inspect the tennis court in the Haymarket, London, prior to construction. Bedford Street was laid out by 1810, initially named Frost Street, and adopted its current name before 1834.