Cambridge University Real Tennis Club
A Grade II listed real tennis court of 1866 on Grange Road, one of the few left in the United Kingdom.
Courts for real tennis are scarce in the United Kingdom. The Cambridge University Real Tennis Club on Grange Road is one of the few clubs with courts. Its building is Grade II listed.
How the courts came about
Land leased from Clare College, near the end of Burrell's Walk off Grange Road, held the first court, built in 1866. It was paid for by subscriptions from several Clare and Trinity fellows, and senior and junior members of those two colleges used it. King's College members were added in 1877, and from 1902 the facilities were open to any member of the University. A second court followed in 1890. It became four squash courts in 1933, then returned to real tennis in 1999.
The club
A Cambridge University Tennis Club was formed after the Second World War, and around 1959 the name Real Tennis Club had taken hold. Associate membership for players from outside the University began in 1958. In 1974 the University bought the freehold from Clare College, and Grade II listing followed in 2014.
Practical notes
This is a membership club under the University's auspices, not a visitor attraction, and no public opening hours are published. The building is a short walk west of the Backs, and the courts themselves are best seen by arrangement with the club.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
