The Harry Gem Project

L to R: Ryan Simpson, Orwells, Oxfrodshire; Pip Lacey, Murano, London; Nick Deverell-Smith, The Churchill Arms, Gloucestershire.

The current series of the Great British Menu competition on BBC TV celebrates the 140th anniversary of the Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. The competition culminates in a banquet at the AELTCC, Wimbledon, London  to be broadcast on Friday 230th June.

Nick Deverell-Smith, one of the central region competitors, was a Warwickshire county player as a young man. He paid a visit to Ampton Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham to look over and play on the oldest  tennis lawn in the world.

Here’s GBM 2017 Central Fish Ep32 in which Nick Deverill-Smith visits Ampton Road and hears about the earlt days of lawn tennis from Bob Holland (piece commences around 9:52).  Also the grand finale, a banquet GMB Ep45 at the All England Club, Wimbledon.  Click here.

On Monday 19th June we set up the court, in line with Gem and Perera’s 1874 rules, in the garden at Ampton Road, Edgbaston, ready for a promotion event by the wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and LTA. This coincided with the Aegon Classic tournament at Edgbaston Priory.

See what happened when Lucie Safarova met Maud Watson (Izzy Nelson) on the oldest tennis lawn in the world – click here.

Following five photographs © Getty Images

(Click photos to enlarge)

We are indebted to Grays for their generosity in donating six real tennis racquet frames. Once they are strung they’ll be put to use on demonstration days and events related to the history of lawn tennis.

Before lawn tennis specific equipment was manufactured players would use whatever they had to hand. Hence real tennis and rackets racquets would have been used to play the early/new game of lawn tennis.