Point in Time: A Brief History of HHTC
Scrapbook history project of HHTC: A Point in Time
A Brief History of Haywards Heath Tennis Club
“furnished and burnished by Aldershot sun” - A Subaltern’s Love Song (John Betjeman)
This is the story of the origin of our club - it’s dedicated to all those known, and perhaps less known, who have played their part in making the club we know today.
This draft version is a scrapbook of scattered memories, many long since forgotten. I've mainly drawn on the British newspaper archives of the Mid Sussex Times. The archive is only available 1881-1945, and 1977-2004. If anyone knows where the missing part of the Mid Sussex Times archive can be found let me know.
Given this huge gap in the archival record and the reliance on newspaper articles- there are many questions left unanswered.
I've supplemented the newspaper record with other online sources of information, the Haywards Heath history Facebook group, and some books on the history of Haywards Heath. Here’s a fuller bibliography with more information on sourcing.
I've added notes from the interviews that Michelle did with Val and Michael. As part of this project it would be great to add to this scrapbook version of the story by incorporating other members’ recollections, knowledge and sources of information - building and enriching together our collective memory of the club. Here’s a timeline overview.
This scrapbook document is meant only for internally sharing with members at this stage.
Patrick Daniels
Read the full club scrapbook
Read the full version of the scrapbook charting the history of Haywards Heath Tennis Club over the last 128 years.
The scrapbook contains the following chapters, along with a timeline, and notes from interviews with HHTC members Michael Berry and Val Harvey.
- Establishment and growth of Haywards Heath
- Victorian Britain - technology, economics and sport
- Access to the tennis lawn and tennis sets
- Tennis, fashion and social attitudes
- Local politics and creation of Victoria Park
- HHTC is founded (1898)
- Permission to play in Victoria Park
- Sharing the space with other sports and cultural events
- Bidding for a dedicated tennis court
- Establishment of fixed grass courts at Victoria Park
- Rival tennis club is founded after WW1 (1919)
- Tensions develop between the two clubs
- Disagreements on Sunday play and building a pavilion
- Seeds of tennis at Beech Hurst
- Creation of a hard court at Victoria Park (at Park Road entrance)
- HHTC President leaves to join rival club
- Wimbledon players at Victoria Park
Chapter 4: Post war continuation
- Tennis activity at Victoria Park dwindles - moves to Beech Hurst (1954) and Birch Hotel
- Hard courts built by Park Road entrance
- Tennis re-energised and Club grows again
Chapter 5: Epilogue - 1977 onwards
- Build a new pavilion for HHTC
- Coaching, teams and match success
- Missing trophies found
- Club develops and grows
- New clubhouse for HHTC