The Former Tennis Court, Hewell Grange

A covered real tennis court of c.1820, by Thomas Cundy Snr. in a Neo-Classical style, adapted c.1891, probably by Bodley and Garner.

MATERIALS: brick with colourwashed stucco render and a slate roof. At the western end are four Coade stone statues.

PLAN: the court is laid out to the normal jeu dedans pattern, with the serving end to the west. The three former penthouses around the east, west and north sides have been removed, but the tambour (buttress-shaped playing surface) is still at the south-east corner. The upper walls have large windows with a maintenance balcony to the exterior. At the western end is a portico above the entrance and changing rooms.

EXTERIOR: the western end has three projecting bays with relieving arches which have a continuous band at the level of their springing and keystones. The left hand two bays have blank doorways, but the right bay has an entrance. At first floor level is a balustrade with vase-shaped balusters and square piers which support the four Coade stone caryatids based on those of the Erechtheion. These support a flat-roofed porch with a wooden entablature which has a dentiled cornice and projecting, plain paterae to the frieze. Above this projection, the gable end wall has a circular opening with moulded surround and plain barge boards. Both flanks have plain walling to their lower body, above which is a continuous row of eleven large windows, each of 7x9 panes, divided by square pilasters which have moulded caps and bases. In front of the windows is a continuous walkway formed of cast iron brackets with a decorative handrail with lattice pattern panels. The brackets support a platform of planks, and the walkway continues around the north, south and east sides of the building. The east gable end also has a circular opening to the gable. Projecting in front of the eastern end of the lower body of the southern flank wall and continuing east beyond the tennis court building is a late-C20 brick retaining wall.

INTERIOR: the windows in the upper wall are divided by wooden pilasters with moulded bases and caps, similar to those on the exterior. The ceiling above the long flank walls takes the form of a generous quadrant to each side, formed of wooden boarding. The central section of the ceiling has suspended flat boarding, but was formerly open to allow illumination from a pitched, central skylight at either side of the roof ridge. The tambour at the south-east corner ends at the height of the continuous, projecting window ledge which continues along the east and west walls and marks the limit of play.

Persuant to s1 (5a) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the buttressed brick retaining wall along the south east flank of the building is not of special architectural or historic interest.