Club History 1889 to date
A pavilion, built just after the first World War, was constructed alongside the courts, of a pitched pine wood of a toughness and quality unobtainable nowadays.
Membership at that time was confined entirely to those of professional and retired services with a smattering of doctors lawyers, bank managers etc.
Club sessions were on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Sets were arranged by the Secretary from 2pm until tea and then members were permitted to organise their own sets. Courts even then were allocated to players by the Secretary.
Originally, a white painted wooden stable stood by the entrance to the Club to house the horse that pulled the mower to cut the grass courts in the days before petrol engines.
After the war the leather and wooden shoes, worn by the horse to prevent damaging the courts, were still lying on the floor. Sadly, all that history has disappeared.
The Club closed down during the war and almost all the members left, many going to Tunbridge Wells. The hedges were all cut down in case they might provide cover for invading German troops. The Club restarted in 1947 under the Chairmanship of Lt Col Ivor Jones. Again, the membership was made up of ‘nobility and gentry’ with a strong retired Army Officer contingent.
During the 1950’s this changed and the Club welcomed more of the townsfolk into its membership. The Newman family was strongly represented and Reg Newman was responsible for the Club’s Championship boards which are still in situ today. He later became President of the Club and remained so until 1977.
After the War the marking of the courts was done by a caretaker, Messrs Briggs of East Street Hythe. It is interesting to note that fine hot summers were more prevalent then and no mowing was in fact done from late June and through July with the groundsman Alex Schwab, also clipping the hedges regularly and with help from members the grounds were kept in excellent condition.
Two of the grass courts were abandoned in the late 1950’s due to the very low membership and when they became needed again sometime later, it was Alex Schwab who made them playable. For this great service to the Club he was made the first Honorary member.
The membership grew in the late 1960’s with the closing of the Folkestone Tennis Club and many of the better and enthusiastic players date from this time.
With an ever increasing junior membership the club went from strength to strength and at that time it was noted that its future looked to be secure.
CLUB DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
| 1931 | Hythe Lawn Tennis club relocated from where Hythe Bowls Club is now, just beyond the cricket club, to its current site, with 8 grass courts and a lease from Hythe Town Council |
| 1946 | Hythe Lawn Tennis Club separated from Hythe Cricket Club, after 57-years |
| 1978 | Jim Rousell finished his tenure as Chairman of the Club It is not known how long he had been Chairman. Records show that the Club had 90 adults and 30 juniors in this year |
| 1979 | New Chairman Gordon Gavin elected |
| 1980 | New Chairman Neville Bradbury elected At this time the Club still had 8 grass courts and no floodlights |
| 1982 | Courts 1 and 2 were laid to macadum. Half of the committee resigned in protest at the cost of £19k |
| 1986 | New Chairman David Butler elected |
| 1987 | New Chairman Moira Gaines elected Floodlights were installed to courts 1 and 2. Membership was still around 100 |
| 2000 | It was proposed and carried at the AGM that no Chairman would serve more than a maximum of 5 years’ tenure New Chairman Betty Hales elected |
| 2005 | New Chairman Peter Saul elected Membership now was around 250 |
| 2007 | Courts 3 and 4 were converted to macadum and floodlights were installed. At this time the Club still had around 250 members and £27k as total funds |
| 2008 | Extension of the front car park doubling our capacity. The cost was £12k and this was donated in full by a Club member |
| 2009 | The old pavilion was demolished and the new one constructed. The cost of £98k was funded entirely by the club. We were £10k short so members were invited to take out a ‘Life Membership’ for £1k, limited to 10 people. All internal equipment, tables, chairs and kitchen equipment were donated by members Despite 2 appeals we were not permitted to extend the footprint unfortunately |
| 2010 | New Chair Hilary Casey elected Online membership introduced and Social Media presence established |
| 2012 | Courts 5 to 8 were converted from grass to macadum at a cost of £145k and floodlights installed at £47k, which helped increase overall membership to 370 |
| 2013 | Online court booking system introduced |
| 2015 | New Chair Ted Weller elected |
| 2019 | New Chair Gareth Coombes-Olney elected The floodlights on all 8 courts were converted to LED. New kitchen and flooring in the pavilion 2020 Membership: Adults 230 / Juniors 83 (the pandemic had an impact on membership) |
| 2021 | Extension of the rear car park after an agreement with the Cricket Club, permitting us to adopt some of their ground CCTV upgrade. New practice fence installed on court 8. New perimeter fencing and landscaping using native plants CH Tennis appointed as the Club's new coaching provider Membership: Adults 307 / Juniors 167 |
| 2024 | Courts 5 to 8 were converted to Advantage Pro (artificial grass) by TigerTurf at a cost of £77k, funded by the club New Chair Peter Ingelbrecht elected Digital Club Magazine 'Match Point' introduced Membership: Adults 387 / Juniors 292 |
| 2025 | 2 Pickleball courts created on Court 4 (multiuse court) Club Improvement Phase 1. Groundworks for new storage container, 3 solar panels and battery system. General electrical work including underground ducting for CCTV cables. New fencing, main gate, block paving, raised bed and hedging. Cost £46k, funded by the club Membership: Adults 427 / Juniors 292 |