The history of the Priestfield Tennis and Sports Association (PTSA) remains rather vague and, at the
moment, rather dependent on the memory cells of some of the older members of the club!
The courts and clubhouse were built on the old Prestonfield estate which was known locally as
‘Echobank’ which relates to where the echo from Echo Rock in Holyrood Park could be heard. At the
end of the 19th century women still took their sheets down to the Wells o` Wearie at the start of Spring
to wash them and then call from Echo Rock to let their family know they were coming home...
We believe that the tennis courts were built as part of the housing development which was started in
1907. The clubhouse is a traditional, wood panelled building which may have been built in the 1930s. It
has a veranda looking out over five hard courts allowing members to rest and watch tennis. The central
hall is spacious and wood-lined with a small functional kitchen adjacent. There are men’s and women’s
changing rooms and wash facilities at either end.
The five tennis courts have gone through a number of changes. Originally, we believe there were two
Tarmac courts and three ash courts. Extraordinarily, between two of the lower courts there is the
remains of a well and on particularly wet days you can still detect a damp patch which when it is cold
becomes an icy patch...! All five courts are now surfaced with a rubbery material to help grip and
bounce.
The current lease for the clubhouse and courts is provided by the City of Edinburgh Council and
periodically is reviewed. The club itself had to fight to keep the courts as there was a possibility in the
1980s and again in the 1990s that the land would have been sold off to developers for residential flats.
Those battles in the past were won and the PTSA managed to obtain funding from the National Lottery
in the 1990s to resurface the courts and restore the clubhouse. There are plans to have lighting which
will allow members to play on winter evenings.
The club is very much a community-run club which stresses social tennis. In fact, it is only recently that
PTSA entered the East of Scotland Lawn Tennis Association leagues as it valued the local, social and
community aspects above team competition. Linked to this is the involvement with local schools –
mainly the primary schools of Preston Street and Prestonfield. The club coach has been active with
these schools also offers individual and group coaching and training sessions.
Finally, we believe that our club and clubhouse is a real community asset – actively helping to develop a
healthy, sporty and community spirit based around tradition and friendship. You would be very
welcome to join the club!