Last year local tennis historian Bob Holland discovered the grave of the Birmingham-born inventor of Lawn Tennis Major Harry Gem’s grave in Warstone Lane Cemetery.
Bob and I have collaborated on the ‘Birmingham Lawn Tennis Trail’ around Edgbaston in Birmingham as there are 5 or 6 important things relating to Lawn Tennis History.
Lawn Tennis was first played by Major Harry Gem at his friend Augurio Perera’s home: ‘Fairlight’ at 8 Ampton Road in 1859.
The Edgbaston Priory’s Centre Court is named after Edgbaston’s 1969 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Champion Ann Jones.
The oldest existing tennis club in the world, pre-dating the All England Club at Wimbledon by 3 weeks having been founded in April 1974, is Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society (E.A.L.T.S.) is in Westbourne Road, next to Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
The famous 1970′s poster of ‘The Tennis Girl’ taken by the late Black Country photographer Martin Elliott was snapped at the former Edgbaston Tennis Club in Edgbaston Park Road which was at that time the Birmingham University Tennis Courts and which is now the Tennis Courts University of Birmingham Halls of Residence.
The very first Olympic Lawn Tennis Champion John Mary Pius Boland, an Irish orphan was educated at The Birmingham Oratory School in Hagley Road before winning both singles and doubles gold medals at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
Bob Holland is hoping to raise some money to put in place a small monumental commemoration to Major Harry Gem as the inventor of Lawn Tennis at his recently discovered grave in Warstone Lane Cemetery in Birmingham’s world famous Jewellery Quarter
Keith Bracey, Leader of the ‘Birmingham Tennis Trail’ (4 photos)
Bob and I have collaborated on the ‘Birmingham Lawn Tennis Trail’ around Edgbaston in Birmingham as there are 5 or 6 important things relating to Lawn Tennis History.
Lawn Tennis was first played by Major Harry Gem at his friend Augurio Perera’s home: ‘Fairlight’ at 8 Ampton Road in 1859.
The Edgbaston Priory’s Centre Court is named after Edgbaston’s 1969 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Champion Ann Jones.
The oldest existing tennis club in the world, pre-dating the All England Club at Wimbledon by 3 weeks having been founded in April 1974, is Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society (E.A.L.T.S.) is in Westbourne Road, next to Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
The famous 1970′s poster of ‘The Tennis Girl’ taken by the late Black Country photographer Martin Elliott was snapped at the former Edgbaston Tennis Club in Edgbaston Park Road which was at that time the Birmingham University Tennis Courts and which is now the Tennis Courts University of Birmingham Halls of Residence.
The very first Olympic Lawn Tennis Champion John Mary Pius Boland, an Irish orphan was educated at The Birmingham Oratory School in Hagley Road before winning both singles and doubles gold medals at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
Bob Holland is hoping to raise some money to put in place a small monumental commemoration to Major Harry Gem as the inventor of Lawn Tennis at his recently discovered grave in Warstone Lane Cemetery in Birmingham’s world famous Jewellery Quarter
Keith Bracey, Leader of the ‘Birmingham Tennis Trail’ (4 photos)
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