The Club House at Scarborough Sports and Tennis Club

The Club House at Scarborough Sports and Tennis Club

This is a substantial clubhouse set well back from Filey Road, built in red brick with grey slate roofs and a timber rear wing. The building is one and a half storeys high, arranged in a T-shaped plan with public rooms on the ground floor, offices above, and a central rear wing. Later buildings of no architectural interest are attached to the west and south.

The main east elevation is approached by a centrally-placed broad staircase of two short flights. The symmetrical front features a central plastered entrance with outer double doors topped by round windows, flanked by multi-paned sash windows with external shutters set back behind a portico in antis. The portico has eight smooth-shafted columns arranged in pairs, with square pillars forming the outer columns on each side. Beyond the portico, at the level of the pillars, exposed red brick displays three oval windows to each side. A basement level is visible below on the south side. The widely-overhanging hipped roof is broken by a row of five dormers with multi-paned sash windows, and two tall ridged chimney stacks positioned between the two outer dormers. The outer corners of the main building have raised brick quoins.

The north return has round windows to either side with three openings between them, the right-hand two containing sash windows and the left-hand one a timber door, all set below round brick arches. Below are basement windows and a doorway to the left, while above is a large three-light dormer window. The south return similarly has two round windows and a large dormer above. In place of the three openings seen on the north side, this elevation features a flat-roofed, plastered, canted bay with two windows and a door similar to those on the north return. The rear return has two dormer windows, but is infilled at ground-floor level with an original brick-built element containing a multi-pane square window and a catslide roof.

The rear wing is defined by a central octagonal turret with windows on all sides. A series of pilasters support the grey slate roof, between which extends a sequence of large multi-paned windows and glazed double doors with glazed panels to either side. Below the windows is horizontal timber cladding. The north side has two doors and four windows, the south side two doors and two windows with an additional door at the east end leading to a passage connecting to a later block. The west end of the rear wing is gabled, with the glazing pattern continuing and a central door again providing passage access to a later adjoining building. A large oval window appears in the gable end, and a dormer window is positioned near the west end of the north side.

The interior is accessed through later glazed inner doors opening to a central reception area with a coffered ceiling supported towards the entrance by columns matching those outside. A corridor to the north with an arched ceiling leads to the kitchen on the left and stairs on the right; at the end is a meeting room, originally the members' room. To the left of the reception area, another arched corridor leads to the men's changing rooms, extending into the canted bay with modern fittings. Beyond the reception area is a large common room with a ceiling arched in its central portion and coffered around the north, west and south edges, occupying most of the rear wing. The outer areas are defined by rows of columns and the room is lit on three sides by extensive glazing, with a bar counter at the east end and a hatch linking to the kitchen. A glazed door at the west end opens to a short corridor connecting to the later building. Stairs to the basement and upper floor are positioned off the corridor to the members' room. The upper floor is divided into offices and service rooms, all with dormer windows; some walls and doorways are original, others inserted.