Racquets Court

Racquets Court is a building constructed around 1885, located at St. Peter's College in Radley. It is built of English bond brick and features a low-pitched hipped roof covered with Welsh slate, topped with a glass lantern. The structure is one storey high and has a five-bay range. A gabled porch is situated in the end wall, which includes a round window above a pointed-arched doorway that is set within a segmental-arched surround with imposts. This doorway is flanked by segmental-arched windows. The side walls have sunk panels in each bay, with pierced stone ventilation holes above and below blind lancets that have thin stone imposts. Inside, there is a staircase leading to a viewing gallery. The construction cost was £964. Racquets was first played in Fleet prison around 1816 and gained popularity in the army and public schools from the mid-19th century, with 12 courts from the 1860s still existing in public schools.