In 1889 Sam Heilbut, then owner of Holyport House, built a tennis court at the bottom of his garden. For this he had engaged Joseph Bickley, famous in the tennis world, particularly as a builder of courts. It was thus no surprise that the court quickly became known as one of the finest in the country, with spacious dedans and changing rooms and an adjoining swimming-pool. The first professional was John Nightingale, but he was soon succeeded in 1891 by William Webb, who had previously worked at Oxford and Manchester. Heilbut was a generous host and there were frequent parties at the court until his death in 1913. 

His successor, Major H. M. Martineau, continued to run the court, even though he was more interested in cricket. (Indeed in 1926 he arranged for the Australian touring side to play their first match, against a Minor Counties side, on his cricket pitch at the end of Holyport Street). During the Second World War troops were billeted in the House and played basketball in the court, which was also used for ice-skating.  

In 1950, the Holyport Tennis Club was formed by Max Heilbut (a descendant of the original owner) and Leslie Crispe. The support of Hubert Martineau and his daughter, Mrs Janne Cahill, and of more than 50 members, enabled necessary repairs to be made and electric lighting to be installed. The court reopened with a match between Alistair Martin, then British and US amateur champion, and his American compatriot Albert Johnson, a professional at Queen’s. The court has been the scene of many fine matches ever since. In 1953 and 1957, Pierre Etchebaster played exhibition matches against Lord Aberdare, and in 1954 Jim Dear took the first step on his way to the world title by beating Henri St. Germain of Bordeaux.  

In 1985, Holyport House was sold and converted into a nursing home, now run by BUPA. The court was bought by a consortium consisting of Colin Lumley, Bryan Morrison, David Pearl and Chris Ronaldson. The roof was repaired, changing rooms refurbished and the court brought up to championship standard, which entailed the building of a new side penthouse. 

The new club, the Royal County of Berkshire Real Tennis Club, opened for play in September 1986, with Kevin King as the enthusiastic professional and Lesley Ronaldson as manager. Holyport was transformed from a quiet tennis backwater into a busy modern facility, largely used by local residents who previously knew little of the game. Nick Wood became Head Professional in August 1998. He left the Club in 2005 to go to Petworth, and subsequently the Royal Tennis Court (RTC), and was succeeded by a sequence of professionals, none of whom stayed for more than a couple of years. In due course, the Club was sold and passed through two subsequent owners.   

In 2013, the court came close to falling into the hands of a property developer but was saved in the nick of time and bought instead by 4 Holyport members who embarked upon an extensive renovation of the court, the building and its grounds.    

Mark Piper