Tennis has been played for some considerable time at Lavenham Tennis Club. Play first took place at Lower Road, by the Common, just after the First World War and on Lion Meadow (off the High Street) in the 1920's. For a time play was transferred to the end of Cock Alley on Pit Meadow (now Meadow Court) before returning once again to Lion Meadow. First arrivals were required to mark out the court for the evening's play and one can presume that there were a few late starts!

Eventually Lion Meadow  was sold and play was confined to privately owned courts. On 31st March 1953 the Rector offered his top lawns for tennis. Two grass courts were mown and marked out and Lavenham Tennis Club was born. Those were the days of frugal organisation: the balance at the bank being recorded as 1s 3d (7p) and no-one was allowed home until all the balls had been found! In 1963  the part of the garden on which the tennis courts stood was sold for housing and on July 15th 1963 the old Lavenham Tennis Club was no more.

On 15th May 1971, amid great excitement, two new tennis courts were opened at the Recreation Ground on Bridge Street Road and the new Lavenham Lawn Tennis Club was formed with a membership of just 30 people. From that time the club has grown with a third court being added in 1975 and a fourth, in conjunction with a new clubhouse, in 1986.

In the mid 1990's three of the courts were resurfaced with artificial grass, the fourth remaining as a hard court. Floodlighting to three of the courts was turned on in November 2002, and a new sports pavilion serving the football, cricket and tennis clubs was completed in 2003. Maintenance and upkeep of the courts is an ongoing process with one court being re-laid in 2018.

Membership has now grown to about 150 players from Lavenham and the surrounding area. However we are always on the look out for new members and players of all abilities are welcome.

If anyone has any old photos of the  courts or players we would be very happy to put them on the website.