Real Tennis at Jesmond Dene: "a beautiful court in every way."

 

First Decade 1894-1914.

The tennis court at Jesmond Dene was built in 1894 as a private court for the Noble family of Jesmond Dene House. The correspondent of The Field newspaper who visited to report on the opening ceremonies found the court "far from being unsightly." [October and November issue 1894].  Later writers thought it "as good as any private court in existence in England" [The Field 1912]; "one of the most delightful courts in which to play" [The Field 1928]; and "a beautiful court in every way. The floor and walls are in the right relationship, and the light is certainly good" [The Times October 7th 1928]

The tennis court project was one of a number of refurbishments to the house and grounds carried out by Sir Andrew Noble (1831-1915). Originally called "Black Dene House," the house had been designed by John Dobson for T.E.Headlam in 1822. Noble purchased the property in 1871. Alterations to the rear (1870-1) then front of the house (1875) were followed by the addition of a billiard room (1885). These were all designed by Norman Shaw. Subsequently Noble used the Newcastle architect F.W. Rich. Rich worked on further alteration to the house, the addition of stables and the Real Tennis Court.

Nicholas Pevsner calls it "The Racquet Court" and dates the building circa 1900 [see Grundy J et al and Pevsner (1992) Northumberland, Penguin, London.].  He finds the design both characteristic of Rich and "lively":
"Rich made a large hall lively by the application of buttresses, tall octagonal turrets, a pent entrance at one end and a single-bay two storey apartment for the professional at the other. N. gallery and large round S. windows. In bright red brick (Flemish garden wall bond), and the plain tiles which are almost Rich's trademark." [Grundy J et al and Pevsner (1992) p.512]

When the court was Grade II listed in 1987 this description of the architecture was recorded:
"Flemish garden wall bond brick with ashlar and terracotta dressings; roof of plain tiles with terracotta gable copings; lead turret roofs. One high storey, 8 bays and 2-storey ninth bay. Pent entrance extension on right return; low 4-bay pent front extension. South elevation: large round windows, with pivoted central section and metal glazing bars, in keyed ashlar and terracotta surrounds; bays defined by buttresses. Ninth bay has upper 4-light stone-mullioned window. Pentice in front of 4 right bays has sash windows, tripartite in gabled alternate bays. Tall octagonal corner turrets have terracotta strings; cornices and high domes with ball finials. Right return entrance porch has arts-and-crafts Gothic style ornament above elliptical open arch; parapet with high spike finials. Wood gallery on rear."


Map evidence:

The 1st edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed around 1855 shows the tennis court site as an enclosed field of nearly 3 acres on the east side of the largely undeveloped Matthew Bank. Immediately north of the tennis court site is an enclosed garden or orchard associated with the surviving buildings on the south side of Castles Farm Road. This enclosure, and its associated buildings survived the construction of the tennis court, or Raquet Court as it is labelled on the 2nd and successive following editions of the Ordnance Survey map series. The building on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map of 1898 is shown sitting in a levelled site within a large enclosed site which is bordered to the east by the wooded slopes of the Ouseburn, with the site most adjacent to the Racquet court seemingly having been cleared of trees by this time.

Jesmond Dene House became an important aspect of Noble's business life as it provided an ideal base for visitors to be shown the Armstrong Whitworth works at Elswick whilst being treated to country house hospitality. The "kindly" atmosphere was key for instance in attracting Japanese investors. [see Marie Conte Helm, Japan and the North-East of England.]

At the time of the tennis court's opening the 63 year-old Sir Andrew Noble (1831-1915) was at the height of his reputation as Britain's leading innovator in the field of ballistics and gunnery. He had been knighted the year previously and praise was heaped upon his efforts particularly in the field of naval gunnery: "In England there commenced probably the most extraordinary revolution that ever took place in connection with warlike material." [Lloyd and Hadcock 1893].

A Scot from Greenock he had gone to school at Edinburgh Academy and then to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. According to Lady Noble writing late in life:
"My husband was very popular. His abilities and genial manner endeared him to friends as well as to foreigners. Though he worked very hard, his love of games of all kinds kept him young. He had played racquets for the regiment (R.A.) when he was young, and was good at lawn tennis, and finally in 1894 built a real tennis court at Jesmond where he played for some years." [A Long Life, 1925 p.66]

Sir Andrew must have appeared a striking figure on court with his handle-bar mustachios. His enthusiasm for tennis must have been frustrated by the bouts of gout which his wife describes laying her husband very low around this time. In a later memoir Humphrey Noble provides this description of the knight on his court:
"A.N. built the tennis Court in 1894 near the kitchen garden, and it was the best-built and best-lit court in England. He thoroughly enjoyed the game and for an old man, was remarkably good. He had a very good eye and as a young man had played rackets at Woolwich for his regiment. He could not move about very quickly, but any ball coming straight to him, or coming off the pent-house when he had plenty of time to get to it, was returned accurately and well cut. Edgar Lambert was the professional and there could be no more devoted or painstaking teacher or a better marker for A.N. His great control of the ball enabled him to place it so that A.N. could get to it and make a good return. They usually played singles together and A.N. was always delighted when he beat Lambert. Naturally he did generally win but Lambert had to be careful not to lose too obviously." [Humprey Noble, Life in Noble Houses, 1967 p.51-2]

From its opening in 1894 until the outbreak of war in 1914, the court was the private family court of Noble, his family and guests. Initially the professional in charge was Frank Forester from October 1894 until April 1895 when he was replaced Edgar Lambert. When Dexter, the tennis correspondent of the Field, visited Newcastle in October 1911 he found the arrangement for playing on court was that: "The owner is most kind in granting permission to play, and a list of names of players is kept in the court who can come at any time that it is not wanted for the house."

Although the list has not survived we know the names of a good many of those first players.

The opening match on the court was played between professional Charles Saunders and amateur Sir Edward Grey. At that time Sir Edward (1862-1933) was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The M.P. for Berwick upon Tweed had been the youngest serving MP at the time of his first election in 1885, aged 23. Despite a narrow majority he had retained the seat for the Liberal party in 1892. As Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Gladstone and Roseberry administrations he was involved in British policy in relation to the Ottoman Empire and West Africa. He would claim later that the experience proved invaluable when as Foreign Secretary (1905-1916) he dealt with the events which led to the outbreak of the First World War. Sir Edward had attended Temple Grove School and Winchester College before going to Balliol College Oxford in 1880. His Wikipedia entry includes this remarkable assessment of his time at Oxford:
"Apparently an indolent student he was tutored by Mandell Creighton during the vacations and managed a second in Mods. Grey subsequently became even more idle using his time to become university champion at real tennis." (!)

Grey was Oxford Champion and winner of the Varsity match in 1883; British Amateur Champion 1889, 1891, 1895, 1896 and 1898; runner-up in 1892, 1893 and 1894 (years in which he held office). On that opening day in Jesmond he played the reigning professional champion Charles Saunders:
"It is needless to say that Saunders was in good form, for that follows naturally from the facts, -that be gave half-30 to his antagonist, and came out of the contest victorious." [The Field November 1894]

Other amateur gentlemen players at Jesmond with Noble's blessing were Lord Alverstone (Richard Everard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone, 1842 -1915, Lord Chief Justice, athletics and cricket enthusiast) Lord Ridley (Matthew White Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley DL (1842-1904)), Mr R. H. Philipson (Mine owner, Ralph Hilton Philipson ) Capt. R. K. Price ((MCC Gold Racket winner 1920) the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton (1857-1913 MP and Colonial Secretary, as a young man he had been wicketkeeper for England. Famously in the 1884 test against Australia he had a spell bowling taking 4 for 8 with underarm lobs,), Mr E. B. C. Curtis, and Mr H. J. Tennant (MP for Berwickshire 1895-1908, Under-Secretary of State for War, 1915.)

Noble's son John Henry Brunel Noble (1865-1938) was said to be a first-rate player, having played rackets at Oxford. Grandson [later memoir writer] Humphrey Brunel Noble (1892-1968) was also highly rated, playing at Cambridge.

The privately published "Jesmond Journal" suggests however that the tennis was not always of the highest standard. A description of a "historic contest" in 1914 between Saxton and Philip Noble and Marc Noble and Alfred Cochrane mocks the high seriousness of Edwardian sports' reports.
"Mr. Saxton Noble's underhand twist service in the concluding set proved of a deadly nature, until Mr. Marc Noble found the marker's box with a well-directed shot which he followed up by chase better than the back of his partner's head. A long rest followed poached egg after poached egg being returned from all corners of the court; finally a scrambled egg under the grille decided the issue. Hereabouts Mr. Saxton Noble, whose steady attack on the openings (though not necessarily the right openings) was most effective, narrowly missed the top bandeau with two successive attempts. There was intense excitement during the final stages of this historic contest, the dedans standing up and screaming, as with a masterly stroke into the roof Mr. Philip Noble made the score three all." [The Jesmond Journal January 1914]

Alfred Cochrane (1865-1948) married Sir Andrew Noble's daughter Ethel in 1895. Cochrane was secretary to the Armstrong Whitworth company and a member of the Tyne River Commissioners. His Early History of Elswick (1909) shows him to have been a keen antiquarian and occasional lecturer. He was also a football player, cricketer and published poet. He played football for Derby County appearing in the club's first ever team photograph in 1884. He played cricket for Oxford, Derbyshire and Northumberland batting right-handed, bowling with the left.  He wrote and produced a play - Captain Scarlet: a comedy of the North Road. He also published several volumes of poetry from 1894 onwards. Whilst his verse features cricket and football he seems not to have written any real tennis poetry. Writing in 1912 Dexter of the Field recorded of his real tennis that he: "plays fairly regularly, and has an effective railroad service and considerable powers of return"

Cochrane was not the only poet to be associated with Sir Andrew Noble and the Armstrong Whitworth company. John Meade Falkner (1858-1932) was a colleague: a poet and novelist now remembered for the smuggling tale Moonfleet (1898). Falkner left Oxford for Jesmond where he became tutor to John Noble for two years (1883-5) before becoming Sir Andrew's secretary. Unlikely though it might appear he rose to be Chairman of the Armstrong Whitworth Company by 1915. According to Christopher Hawtree: "Charles Lynam later told John Betjeman that at Oxford Falkner had been "a good cricketer & racquets player"." Intriguingly no record of his playing real tennis at Jesmond Dene seems to survive. Perhaps he was too far removed from the close family circle.

Professional players also visited Jesmond in this period, challenging Edgar Lambert on his home court. Lambert came from a tennis dynasty of sorts: his father was the professional at Hatfield (Lord Salisbury's court) and his uncle George had been world champion. 1904 seems to have been a vintage year for Lambert. In February 1904 Sir Andrew made a purse available for a match between Lambert and C. Fairs of the Prince's Club. Fairs was preparing to challenge for the world championship so was expected to win easily despite giving Lambert "half 15 and 1 bisque". Before a large crowd Lambert won the match within an hour and five minutes. The pace must have been frantic as the score is recorded as "3 sets to 1, 21 games to 11, 89s strokes (+17 the odds) to 80."

At that time there was no organised tournament to decide the world championship. Press reports mentioned Lambert as among the likely contenders should such an event be organised. Peter Latham the reigning world champion visited Jesmond in August 1904. Latham had been unbeaten since 1895. He would retain the world title until 1905, then regain it again 1907-8. Playing a handicapped match Lambert defeated the world champion by three sets to one after two hours and fifteen minutes on court. In December 1904 E Johnson of Prince's Club fought out a one set all tie with Lambert: the length of the match owing to the first set having been played to 28-26.

Visiting Jesmond clearly presented problems to professionals. A report of a match between Lambert and Covey sees the journalist sympathise with the visitor: "the strangeness of the court may excuse him some uncertainty of length upon the floor and some inaccuracy at the openings." (undated press reports from Lambert Scrapbook).

In 1905 Lambert faced E. Johnson again and R. Dickinson (Oxford). Defeated by Johnson we learn from the press reports of June 1905 that Lambert was however playing well, favoured rackets made by Prosser and Sons and was planning to challenge Latham for the world championship. Lambert's challenge never seems to have materialised. Around this time however he was involved in a "fancy" match: a round of golf in which the tennis professional played with a racket rather than a club. The match took place at the Northumberland Club at Gosforth Park against the golf professional there J.D.Edgar. The press report includes a faded photograph of Edgar beside Lambert, the latter with racket in hand. Tennis won the day, not least because he was allowed to play his ball from hand.


Gas Bags and Gluefoot 1914-1928
Family use of the real tennis court was suspended on the outbreak of war in 1914. Sir Andrew died in 1915 but the Jesmond Dene House continued to host many military visitors during the conflict. Rudyard Kipling visited at this time to research Fringes of the Fleet and The War at Sea (1916). The Armstrong Whitworth Company was diversifying in many ways as part of its war effort and a substantial aircraft production unit was established in the ice rink off the town moor in Gosforth. According to one source the court became an adjunct of this activity and Edgar Lambert was given the task of organising its war effort.
 "During the war Elswick made airships on the Zeppelin principle. A large space was required to make the balloons or gas bags for these ships. The tennis court was ideal for this purpose and Lambert was put in charge, so that even the Tennis court made its war effort." [Noble, Humphrey (1967) p55]

Information on how the gas bags were made or the size of the tennis court work force is non-existent. Certainly the workers are likely to have been women as they were pre-dominant in such work at this time. It is known that women worked at the aircraft factory on the moor. Indeed they had their own football team, the aptly named "Aviation Athletic".

For a short period post-World War One the real tennis court resumed its life as the family playground with a variety of play and regular visitors. So much is apparent from Humphrey Noble's memoir:

"The tennis court reverted to its proper use. Horace, who was working in Newcastle, had become a fine player and had played for Oxford in 1922. He had a very powerful stroke and cut the ball properly - anyone taught by Lambert knew how to do this. We had tennis matches again at the New Year, getting Arthur Twinn from Cambridge and Charles Feldon from Manchester. Sometimes we would have a tennis weekend in the summer and invited Edgar Baerlein, Percy Ashworth and Victor Cazalet to stay at Jesmond. Cyril Simpson would always join in these Tennis Festivals." [Noble, Humphrey (1967) p56]

Edgar Maximilian Baerlein (1880-1971) was the author of Tennis, Rackets, SquashRackets, Tennis, Fives, & Badminton and a champion in rackets, tennis and real tennis. He had played for Oxford before the First World War and presumably knew the Nobles from that time. He was amateur Real Tennis Champion from 1914-1927 and again in 1929-1930 and appeared as such on a cigarette card. Percy Ashworth was a champion rackets player before the war. Cazalet (1896-1943) had won the Millitary Cross during the First World War and would be elected to Parliament as a Conservative in 1924. Despite his support for Franco, he was a strong ally of Churchill. He would die in 1943 in the plane crash which killed the Polish General Sikorski. Cyril Simpson (1874-1953) had played cricket for Northamptonshire.

The family get-together over Christmas 1921 was probably the last of the old-style tennis festivals. The Jesmond Journal has a humorous piece by Horace Noble (winner of the Christmas Handicap) in which he offers "Hints to Young Players." The hints include useful descriptions of the blocker, the handler and the framer. The penthouse bouncer was as popular then as today. There is also some discussion of the less well-known but recognisable gluefoot.

Jesmond Dene House became much less important as a business entertaining centre once Alfred Noble moved out in 1921. Indeed after the death of Sir Andrew visits were conducted in a much more formal manner: a witness to this was the Russian novelist Yevgeni Zamyatin (1884-1937) who used his own visit to Jesmond Dene House as the model for the tea-time scenes in Chapter Six of his satire of Jesmond life Ostrovityane (1918; "The Islanders").

By 1928 it was a number of years since the court had been used regularly for play.   However Sir Andrew's grandsons Humphrey Brunel [Sir Humphrey Brunel Noble of Ardmore, 4th Bt.(1892 -1968)] and Horace W. Noble were keen players. They installed Edgar Lambert's son Charles as professional and launched the "re-opened" court with a series of exhibition matches. It appears that Edgar had by then ceased to play through illness or injury. However he was still "at hand" suggesting the family had kept him on in some capacity. The Field was pleased to report in detail on the opening match between Charles Lambert and George Cooke, the Manchester assistant professional. Lambert prevailed, the journalist's verdict was:
"For so young an exponent he used his head well and took his bisques to advantage. In Lambert we have a professional who may go far, and possibly one who may make a champion in time." [The Field Oct 11 1928]

The House was the residence of Lady Noble until her death in 1931, 103 years old. The family also suffered the sudden death of Phillip Noble (1870-1931) at this time. He had become a flying enthusiast. He died at the controls of a two-seater bi-plane in July 1931.

Under Lady Noble's will the house and grounds were left to Newcastle City Council, extending Jesmond Dene Park as far as Castle Farm. A club was established to secure future play at the Real Tennis Court and by implication future work for the professional: the Jesmond Dene Tennis Club.


Jesmond Dene Tennis Club 1932
The club was organised by old friends of the court. The President of the Club was Viscount Grey of Fallodon, who as Edward Grey had played on the opening day in 1894. Viscount Grey would die in 1933 age 71. The Chairman was Captain H.B Noble (later Sir Humphrey). Other Noble family members who supported the club were Sir George Noble (1859-1937) (friend of Baden-Powell and author of Birds of Jesmond Dene published in 1908) and Sir John Noble (1865-1938). Aristocratic members included Lord Leconfield, Lord Abedare, Lord Ridley, Lord Armstrong and Lord Ravensworth. Old players showing their support included E.M Baerlein and Captain Cazalet.

The court opened for business on January 10th 1932 at 11 am. [The Times 9th Jan. 1932] The first hon. secretary was Mr Harold Wild. He marked the opening singles match between Charles Lambert and the visiting professional R. Goody of Oxford. In doing so he caused some consternation:
"it is believed that only once previously has an amateur marked a professional match. By coincidence the other occasion was in the same court, when E.B. Noel marked a match between Lambert and G.Cooke, Manchester." [The Times 10th January 1932]
Clearly Jesmond was becoming notorious.

The Newcastle Journal reporting on the same opening matches also recorded that "Local sportsmen desiring to assist in the promotion of the new venture should communicate with Mr. Wild…" [Journal 11th January 1932] This was something wholly new in the life of the court: local sportsmen.

How many answered the call? Lawn tennis was hugely popular in the North East at this time. There was the Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club, the Portland Park Tennis Club, in Gosforth the newly re-named South Northumberland Cricket and Tennis Club and there were other clubs in Jesmond, on the Grainger Estate, Fenham and at Forrest Hall. These, alongside the expanding golf clubs, were important forums in which the middle-class met and married. Perhaps the real tennis alternative failed to offer the same possibilities.

In any case a shared tenancy with the Northumberland Badminton Association was soon in place to secure the building. Lawn Tennis was however played outside the court as map evidence shows. This represented an expansion perhaps of a family court laid in the 1920s.

Map Evidence II:
The 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map of c1920 shows a rectangular enclosure - perhaps a lawn tennis court? - in the open area east of the Racquet Court, while the 4th edition of c1940 shows, in addition to large-scale residential development on the west side of Matthew Bank, three 'Tennis Courts' on the south side of the Raquet Court. South of these, the Council nurseries had been installed and, in the enclosed garden bordering Castle Farms Road to the north of the Raquet Court, several detached greenhouses are shown, adding to those which had been gradually added to the line of stone buildings there. The tennis court-sized area marked within woodland on the east side of the Racquet Court is still shown on this map, but is rather less well defined, suggesting that if it had been a lawn tennis court, it had been abandoned following the opening of the new courts south of the Racquet Court.

During the Second World War there was no play of any sort: the court was used as a workshop and store for the keeping and maintenance of street lighting time clocks.

From 1945-1981 the court was only used for Badminton under the auspices of the North Jesmond Badminton Club. Their honour boards now grace the courtside corridor.

A new phase in the club's history began on Sunday 10th May at 2pm when the court was re-opened for real tennis play by Mrs Y. Cochrane, grand-daughter of Sir Andrew, daughter of Alfred.



Dr Peter J. Quinn, 2008.

With thanks to John Duns for his original research and to Richard Carlton for the maps and plans.






References

Grundy J et al and Pevsner (1992) Northumberland, Penguin, London.

Conte-Helm, Marie (1982) Japan and the North East of England from 1862 to the Present Day, The Athlone Press, London

Lloyd EW (late Commander R.N.) and Hadcock A G (late R.A.) (1893) Artillery: its Progress and Present Position, Griffin, Portsmout

Noble, Humphrey (1967) Life in Noble Houses Hindson and Andrew Reid Ltd, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Cochrane Alfred JH (1909) The Early History of Elswick; a lecture delivered before Elswick Foremen and Draughtsmen's Association, January 21st 1909, Newcastle.

Cochrane Alfred JH (1895) Captain Scarlet: a comedy of the North Road in one act, first acted in the Banqueting Hall Jesmond Dene on Tuesday 11th 1894, Newcastle.

Tapper Oliver (1970) Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913, Putnam, London {has much info on the Gosforth factory but no mention of the tennis court's use]

Baerlein E. M. (1933) Tennis, Rackets, Squash-Rackets, Tennis, Fives, & Badminton. Aberdare, Clarence Napier Bruce, 3rd Baron, 1885-1957, ed. Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, vol. 16. London: Seeley, Service

James, Robert Rhodes (1976). Victor Cazalet: a portrait. London: Hamilton

Noble H (1921) Hints to Young Players, Jesmond Journal, 1922 pp.4-5.

Richard Holt and Ray Physick, Sport on Tyneside, Chapter 9 of Colls and Lancaster eds (2001)  Newcastle upon Tyne A Modern History, Phillimore, Chichester, esp.199-200.

Christopher Hawtree IMPERIOUS TYRANNY AND INFINITE GUSTO John Meade Falkner, sportsman (1999)
http://www.island.net/~rjbw/Jmfs-NL01a.html
http://www.johnmeadefalknersociety.co.uk/

[Captain Price]
http://www.petworthrealtennis.com/pages/history/professional_history2.htm

[Edward Grey]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Edward_Grey

[Hon. Alfred Lyttelton]
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/16385.html

[Alfred Cochrane]
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11203.html
http://bygonederbyshire.co.uk/articles/Cochrane,_Alfred_-_Rams_Forgotten_Players_(No._1)
 
[On football in the Great War and Aviation Athletic]
http://www.donmouth.co.uk/local_history/great_war_football/great_war_football.html

[Baerlein's book is a part of the University of South Carolina tennis collection]
http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/hist/tennis/survival.html

[Baerlin and Ashworth Rackets champions]
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Racquets

[Cricketer Cyril Simpson]
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/20774.html

[Kipling in Jesmond, Alan Myers]
http://www.seaham.i12.com/myers/m-kipling.html

[Zamyatin in Newcastle by Alan Myers]
http://www.seaham.i12.com/myers/zamyatin.html

[Phillip Ernest Noble air-crash 31 July 1931]
http://www.arborfieldhistory.org.uk/memories_air_crash_1931.htm