Prenton LTC History

Part 1

Prenton Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1886, over 123 years ago. When the club was formed, the township of Prenton comprised a rural hamlet of some 120 inhabitants. As Prenton developed into a busy urban area, the tennis club was a constant factor, providing continuity from the old to the new. The township of Prenton was amalgamated into the former County Borough of Birkenhead in 1928. To have survived two World Wars, years of depression and other crises is a remarkable achievement. A Victorian lady by the name of Miss Elizabeth Lee, who lived in a big house on the site of the present Wharfdale avenue estate, kept a diary containing the first record of the clubs long history. "Mr Albert Mellor of Mount Woods", she tells us, "has been getting a tennis club up and he is going to give us a ball for the opening ceremony." The ball was held on February 24th 1886, in the Prenton Bowling Club pavilion - that club had been formed a year earlier - and Mr Mellor had taken an empty house nearby "as there wouldn't be room for all at the pavilion". It would seem that most of the inhabitants of Prenton, with friends went to the ball, for Miss Lee says about 150 were there. "The passage between the empty house and the pavilion was lit up with all sorts of Chinese lanterns - it looked like fairyland. We danced in the dining room of the empty house, while splendid refreshments were served in the pavilion and cards were played in the rooms underneath". So the tennis club was launched in lavish style and when the weather improved (They had snow that February), the first play began on two grass courts. Members must have shared the nearby bowling club pavilion for the first tennis pavilion was not opened until 1892. This had changing rooms and a verandah in front, but no club room. In 1925/26, the club acquired all the shares of the ground Company thereby owning its own ground. The early years of the twentieth century were by no means easy for Prenton. At the annual General meeting of 1909, it was reported that, owing to a decrease in membership, it was impossible to run the club without loss and approval was given to increase the subscription by five shillings! Incidentally, at that time, lady members paid a reduced subscription and also four pence instead of sixpence for their Saturday tea!

Part 2

One notable milestone in Prenton LTC's history comprised the The Golden Jubilee. The big day was June 29th when the finals of the club tournament were being played. Distinguished guests in the afternoon, who also saw an exhibition match between leading local players, included the Mayor and Mayoress of Birkenhead, Alderman & Mrs A.W. Baker, and the presidents of local tennis clubs. The Prenton president, Mr Hubert Turner, welcomed the guests and a film was taken of the celebrations, the climax of which came in the evening with a dance at the Hoylake Hotel (Tickets priced at six shillings each!). In 1939, it was decided to lay down a new grass court on the allotment land recently bought by the club from Birkenhead Corporation and the hope was expressed that it would reach Wimbledon standards in the near future! Unfortunately, war clouds were already looming on the horizon and, in September 1939, the club braced itself once again to survive difficult, and this time dangerous years - dangerous because, during the air raids on Birkenhead, bombs and a land mine fell chillingly close. The club strove to maintain some sort of normality and sugar and butter rations were obtained so that Saturday teas could continue. A list of members serving in the Forces was put up in the pavilion and they were given the courtesy of the courts. In 1941, the annual general meeting was the shortest on record and brief meetings - both AGM and committee - were the pattern during the war.

Part 3

When peace came, it was play as usual once again. At the annual general meeting in April 1946, it was decided that matches and a tournament should be arranged as soon as possible and the club set about refurbishing the courts - one grass and one shale had been closed during the war. The late 1940's saw the building up of the club membership, which had quite naturally plummeted during the war and the 1950's could be described as a decade of consolidation. It was in the 1960's that proposals for the development of the club, which have continued over the years, first started. In 1964, there were various schemes to extend the club although some of them did not materialise. In 1970, the Prenton site was extended with a purchase from Birkenhead Corporation of a triangular piece of land surplus to the allotment requirements. In 1972, there was a membership injection with seventeen members of Bedford Lawn Tennis Club joining after their club had closed the previous season. The hope was expressed by the committee that "this may well be the answer to renewing interest in social tennis, particularly at the weekends". In the late sixty's and during the seventies, several possible mergers were considered, but none came about. Whilst wishing to improve their facilities, Prenton at the time had no money to do so and again various schemes were considered to raise the funds. None of these materialised and the club continued as before. In the 1980's a merger with Mountwood Lawn Tennis Club, one hundred and fifty yards down the road, was also considered. This was also one of the schemes discussed in the late seventies! This merger was earnestly considered by both clubs and agreement was reached prior to the successful Prenton Lawn Tennis Club Centenary celebrations in 1986. 100 hundred years of the clubs existence was celebrated in style with members dressing up in old tennis costumes. Chief guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral.

Part 4

A few years after the Centenary celebrations the old (swiss-cottage style?) clubhouse was destroyed in a fire and for what seemed an eternity the members made do with porta-cabin accommodation with adjacent porta-loo until the old club-house remains were cleared and a new pavilion put up in in its place. At roughly the same time the new pavilion club-house was under construction it was decided to replace the last three remaining shale courts which were past their sell buy date, with three new hard courts. This brought the total number of hard courts at the club to its present day amount of seven. During this period the membership fell slightly and a strong drive to build up the number of junior members (the life blood of the club) ensued over the following years. No history at Prenton would be complete without recording the clubs's big contribution to tennis in Cheshire. From time to time Prenton has supplied officers at nearly every level for the Cheshire County Lawn Tennis Association, including three presidents (Hurbert Turner, H.M.Hinchcliffe and Arnold Herschell). In 1907, the first county match was played on the courts - Cheshire against Warwickshire - and Prenton became a popular county venue. The first Prenton member to be awarded county colours was Sam Richardson in 1903 and many more members over the following decades have joined the representative ranks. Matches with other clubs were introduced soon after Prenton started, but Oxton is probably only the only club left of its pre- 1914 opponents. When the Brancote Club disbanded in 1948 it donated £10 of the money it had in hand after winding up club affairs to Prenton "as old friends".

Part 5

With the formation of the Wirral tennis league in 1978 Prenton entered two teams but continued to play friendly matches. In the winter months, the club has teams in the West Cheshire Winter League. The annual tournament, with the traditional strawberry tea on final's day has always been an important feature of the summer months and a long tradition American tournaments have been held each summer. Sunday play was not started until the early 1920's and was then only for limited hours. It was only in 1948 that the rules were amended to allow Sunday play "as on other days". Looking back over the previous century, Prenton is very aware of the debt it owes to the band of people in successive generation who, by their dedication and sheer hard work, have ensured the continuance of the club. Reward has come to a few in the conferring of Life membership but there are many unsung hero's and heroines too. Love of tennis and a determination that it should continue at Prenton have surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles. With the spirit of the past continuing into the present, the future should be in no doubt.

(Contents Adapted and based on an article by Mrs Myra Lea which was written for the clubs centenary year in 1986.)