Citylife in Lichfield September 2020

Postcard image courtesy of Kate Gomez
Anyone for
Tennis?
By Jono Oates
............................
On August 16th 2020 the four tennis courts at Beacon
Park were officially opened, following a complete
refurbishment, after a fund of £200,000 was raised to
bring them up to a high-quality standard. The work was carried
out by a charitable group, Beacon Park Tennis, who had raised
the necessary funds to make the transformation of the courts
complete. The hard tennis courts were first played on in 1934
but the records, and a vintage postcard, show that lawn tennis
was being played in the grounds of Beacon Park as far back as
1905.
It was in June 1905 that a meeting of Lichfield City Council was
held at the Guildhall. One of the items on the agenda was a proposal
from the Lichfield Tradesmen’s Association that public lawn tennis
courts be placed somewhere in the recreation grounds at Beacon
Park for use by ‘citizens and visitors alike.’ The Tradesmen’s
Association said that the curator of the library and museum (now the
Registry Office for Staffordshire County Council) should: mow the
grass; mark out the courts; put up the nets and take charge of
racquets, balls and nets. Also, an hourly fee would be charged for the
participating tennis players from which the museum curator would
take 25% of the takings. Some councillors were unhappy that the
curator should take on the responsibility for the courts as well as the
museum. They were worried that if he was out collecting up tennis
racquets someone could nip into the museum and steal some of
Lichfield’s most treasured items! The issue was resolved however and
later in the year the grass tennis courts were put up at the far side
of the museum gardens by the edge of the recreation grounds.
By 1911 Lichfield City Council were keen to encourage local
people to play both crown green bowling and lawn tennis in Beacon
Park, however there had been a considerable problem with both
playing areas as the land was sinking at quite an alarming rate, thus
causing slightly uneven playing surfaces! The grounds of the museum
gardens had been built on the site of a former pool, an extension of
Minster Pool, and had been reclaimed in the 1850s to build the
gardens, so it was prone to subsidence!
When the statue of Captain Edward Smith of the RMS Titanic was
unveiled in July 1914 the tennis courts were in the way so they
relocated to behind the statue in the recreation grounds. Fencing was
erected around the tennis courts in July 1923, the council paying local
ironmonger Mr HL Johnson £34 5s for the fixtures and fitting. The
grass courts were replaced by hard courts in May 1934 when players
were charged 1 shilling (25p now) for an hour’s tennis for two or four
players.
Tennis tournaments were a regular annual feature and in June 1955
a large crowd gathered to watch the finals take place under a blazing
sun. There was an upset in the Ladies Final as the favourite, Mrs J
Brown (nee Baines) of Lichfield was beaten by Mrs M Stokes (Walsall)
2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a ‘stern three-setter’ lasting an hour and a half.
Meanwhile the Men’s Singles was taken by 19-year-old Brian Storr
from Tamworth, who was serving in the North Staffordshire
Regiment at Whittington Barracks, defeating J Yardley in a
comfortable two-setter. No tennis would have taken place in
December 1960 however as severe thunder and rainstorms left the
courts under four foot of water, flooding both them and the feet of
Captain Smith a few metres away!
The tennis courts at Beacon Park, which started as two simple
grass courts in 1905, have now been brought up to the standards of
the 21st century and the new investment has ensured that the courts
will be enjoyed by Lichfeldians for many more years to come – new
balls please!
Sources: The British Newspaper Archive; the Lichfield Discovered
Facebook page.
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