Cmglee Cambridge Real Tennis Club exterior

Cmglee Cambridge Real Tennis Club Green Court

The Cambridge University Real Tennis Club is located on Grange Road,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The club runs under the auspices of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. It is one of the few

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 ...

clubs and courts in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

History

In 1866, a real tennis court was built at the western end of Burrell's Walk, close to Grange Road, on land leased from

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...

. Funding was raised by private subscription from several fellows of Clare and

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, for the use of senior and junior members at these colleges. In 1877, use of the court was extended to King's College. A second court was erected at the same site in 1890, converted into four

squash court Squash is a racket-and-ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. Th ...

s in 1933, but reopened for real tennis in 1999.About the Club
, Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. In 1902, use of the facilities was extended to any member of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 1958, associate membership was introduced for real tennis players who were not members of the University. The name of the court changed from Clare and Trinity Tennis Courts to Cambridge Tennis and Squash Rackets Courts. The courts were managed by a committee. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Cambridge University Tennis Club was formed. By around 1959, it had become known as the Real Tennis Club. In 1974, the freehold of the site was acquired from Clare College by the University.

References

External

Club website
1866 establishments in England Real Tennis Club Real Tennis Club Real tennis venues Grade II listed buildings in Cambridge Tennis clubs {{Cambridgeshire-struct-stub