The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court Palace is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

court for playing the sport of

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

. It was built for

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

between 1526 and 1529.

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

played there from 1528. This court is still home to an active tennis club. In 2015 it was closed to visitors for major restoration works. During the 17th century various improvements were made to the court. One of the first acts of Charles II after his restoration in 1660 was to order the extensive refitting of the Tudor tennis court. This included the laying of a new tile floor, the remodelling of the galleries and repairs to the roof. At the same time, new nets, curtains and velvet cushions for the spectators' seats were provided. The interlaced initials above the net on the wall opposite the corridors are, however, not those of Charles but of William III and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

(1689–1702). Since the end of the 17th century the court has undergone little alteration. However, progress is not incompatible with history: in 1975 sodium halide lighting was installed.

Real Tennis World Championship matches

The Real Tennis World Championship has been played at the Royal Tennis Court on five occasions: * 1885 Thomas Pettitt beat George Lambert 7–5 * 1977 Howard Angus beat Gene Scott 7–2 * 1979 Howard Angus beat Chris Ronaldson 7–0 * 1983 Chris Ronaldson beat Wayne Davies 7–4 * 2002 Rob Fahey beat Tim Chisholm 7–6 The Ladies' World Championship, inaugurated in 1985, was played at the Royal Tennis Court in 1999, when defending champion Penny Lumley beat Sue Haswell 2–1 in the final.

The court today

The court is home to a real tennis club of over 450 members. The club is active in interclub competitions and fields sides in the National League (administered by the International Real Tennis Professionals Association) and also in

Tennis and Rackets Association The Tennis and Rackets Association is the governing body for the sports of real tennis and (hard) rackets in the United Kingdom. Its first meeting was held in 1907. Tennis courts See: real tennis organizations Rackets courts Clubs * Britannia ...

tournaments including the Field Trophy. The club regularly records the highest court usage of any court in the world, along with the courts at

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley, is a public school (independent boarding school for boys) near Radley, Oxfordshire, England, which was founded in 1847. The school covers including playing fields, a golf course, a lake, and ...

, Oxfordshire and the

Royal Melbourne Tennis Club The Royal Melbourne Tennis Club (RMTC) is one of only four real tennis clubs in Australia, and the site of one of less than fifty real tennis venues in the world. The RMTC is the second oldest in Australia and the largest. It is one of only five ...

Masters of the Royal Tennis Courts

References

External links

The Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace
1520s establishments in England Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Hampton Court Palace Real tennis venues Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Sports venues in London Sports venues completed in the 16th century Buildings and structures completed in the 1520s Tennis clubs {{London-sports-venue-stub

Real Tennis World Championship matches

The court today

Masters of the Royal Tennis Courts

See also

References

External links