51°29′35″N 0°42′50″W / 51.493°N 0.714°W / 51.493; -0.714

The Holyport Real Tennis Club,[1] formerly the Royal County of Berkshire Real Tennis Club,[2] operates the real tennis court at Holyport, Berkshire, England.[3]

The court was built in 1889[4] by Sam Heilbut as part of his Holyport estate and is a Grade II listed building.[5] The court is tucked behind a row of picturesque cottages on Holyport Street.[6] The main house of the estate is now a nursing home.[7]

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). About a two hundred members of the Holyport Real Tennis Club use the court.[8]

In 2013 there were fears that the club would be sold to a property developer [9] but it was saved for use as a real tennis club by a consortium of owners.[10] Following the change of ownership the club has been run by Club Director, John Evans.[11] In 2014, the club celebrated 125 years of play and marked the milestone with a nine day celebration, which included tournaments and a black tie ball.[11]

In 2015 the club hosted the IRTPA Championships.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Holyport Real Tennis Club Limited". Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  2. ^ "ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE REAL TENNIS CLUB LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  3. ^ Mewshaw, Marc. "Wimbledon simply isn't real tennis". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Holyport tennis celebrates 125 years". Maidenhead advertiser. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  5. ^ "ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKS REAL TENNIS CLUB LISTING". Historic England. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  6. ^ "HRTC location map". Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Foxleigh Grove Nursing Home". NHS Carer Services. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. ^ "HRTC website". HRTC website. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  9. ^ "HRTC under threat". Slough Express. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  10. ^ "HRTC under new ownership". Windsor Express. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b "HRTC 125 years". Maidenhead Advertiser. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  12. ^ "HRTC host IRTPA Champs 2015". IRTPA. Retrieved 12 March 2020.