Joseph Bickley-Master Builder

Bickley Real Tennis Court Building Timeline 

Born in Warwickshire in 1835, Joseph Bickley was recognised as a master builder and specialist plasterer. He was based in Fulham, living at 62 Lillie Road from the late 1880’s with his business being based close by at Seagrave Road, Fulham. 

He filed patents for his highly specialised rendering and plastering processes in 1889 and 1909, and these processes, along with robust and artistic construction skills, have led to a body of work that is still both functionally sound and architecturally significant.  

His legacy is more than a dozen real tennis courts around the UK and in the USA that are still in regular use over 100 years after they were built! 

Real Tennis courts built by Joseph Bickley 

  1. 1888 – Queens Club (2 courts), Fulham UK 
  2. 1889 – Holyport, Berkshire UK 
  3. 1894 – Jesmond Dene, Newcastle UK 
  4. 1899 – Tuxedo Park, NY USA 
  5. 1900 – Newmarket (considered the first ‘Bickley Formula’ court) UK 
  6. c1900 – Georgian Court, Lakewood, NJ USA 
  7. 1902 – Aiken, SC USA 
  8. 1905 – Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire UK 
  9. 1905 – Suncourt, Troon, Ayrshire UK 
  10. 1907 – Hardwick House, near Reading UK 
  11. 1907 – Philadelphia, PA USA * 
  12. 1911 – Seacourt, Hayling Island, Hampshire UK 
  13. 1915 – Greentree, Long Island, NY USA 
  14. 1916-18 – Racquet and Tennis Club, New York City, NY USA (2 courts) 
  15.  1922 – Chicago, IL USA 

* Chris Ronaldson remembers Jimmy Dunn, the old pro at Philadelphia, telling him, in the late 70s, that the Philadelphia court had developed a vertical crack soon after it was finished, that Bickley had been recalled and had repaired it to perfection.  You can still see that repair today; it looks like an extra tambour between the first gallery and the door on the main wall, but is smooth to the touch. 

 

Real Tennis courts refurbished or repaired by Bickley  

  1. Hampton Court 
  2. Petworth House 
  3. Canford School (floor) 
  4. MCC, North London (It’s documented that Bickley stained the floor for £21 and further advised on the walls, which also featured his manganese oxide colouring)  

An edited extract from ‘CabbieBlog’ 31st Jan 2017 

Go to anyone-for-tennis for the full article. 

The answer must be Joseph Bickley. At this point anyone reading this with just a passing interest in playing on an indoor court will be uttering his name in reverential hushed tones. Bickley lived at 62 Lillie Road between 1889-1919 and was known for architectural moulding – hence the ornate ox-eye window. His fame (and fortune) came from his patented process of laying ‘non-sweat’ floor rendering for tennis courts. 

All good stories involve a little mystery and Bickley’s tennis courts are no exception. He patented his method in 1889 and refined the process issuing a further patent in 1909. He would personally make up the ingredients part of which involved sieving fine sand through a 0.5mm mesh that at the same time, it was thought, adding the secret ingredient along with manganese dioxide, known as Bickley’s Mineral Black and always working while there was no prospect of a frost. The surface was then polished continuously night and day until the flawless court floor was achieved. 

In 1964 Harrow School wanted to replicate the Bickley formula. Contacting a former employee a Mr. Harbour who had honeymooned in New York at the company’s expense while constructing a new court on Park Avenue. Harrow School found that the composition of Portland cement had subtly altered since Bickley’s day. The court was completed but was it the same as the fabled Bickley formula?