Prince's Club
Encyclopedia
There were two sporting clubs (or one club with two or more locations?) in Knightsbridge
, London
, England
, known as Prince's Club.
The "Old Prince's Club" was built in 1853 and closed in 1940(?). Its rackets courts set the standard dimensions (50 x 30 ft).
The "New Prince's Club" was a socially exclusive club opened in 1870 by George and James Prince, which moved to become Queen's Club
in 1885 when its lease expired.
The Old Club had facilities for lawn tennis, real tennis
, rackets
, cricket
and badminton
. It was also home to Prince's Skating Club
, which hosted Prince's Ice Hockey Club.
Many real tennis
championship challenges were played at Prince's. In particular, Pierre Etchebaster
won the world championship here from Fred Covey
in 1928, having failed to do so in 1927. Notable real tennis
professionals at Prince's include Henry Johns from c. 1926 to 1935.
The real tennis court of the International Tennis Club of Washington is known as Prince's Court. However, it takes its name from its primary founder, Fred Prince.
A new Prince's Club is being developed in Agadir, Morocco at the present time. It plans to re-create the previous ambiance of the original Prince's, and features Rackets, Real Tennis, Squash and Lawn Tennis courts. The project was designed by Robinson McColl Architects+Designers.
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, known as Prince's Club.
The "Old Prince's Club" was built in 1853 and closed in 1940(?). Its rackets courts set the standard dimensions (50 x 30 ft).
The "New Prince's Club" was a socially exclusive club opened in 1870 by George and James Prince, which moved to become Queen's Club
Queen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. Founded in 1886, the Queen's Club was the world's first multipurpose sports complex and named after Queen Victoria, its first patron...
in 1885 when its lease expired.
The Old Club had facilities for lawn tennis, real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
, rackets
Racquets (sport)
Rackets or Racquets is an indoor racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
. It was also home to Prince's Skating Club
Prince's Skating Club
Prince's Skating Club was an ice rink in the Knightsbridge area of London, England. It saw a number of firsts for ice hockey in Britain and Europe.The rink was opened on Montpelier Square on 7 November 1896 by the Princes Sporting Club...
, which hosted Prince's Ice Hockey Club.
Many real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
championship challenges were played at Prince's. In particular, Pierre Etchebaster
Pierre Etchebaster
Pierre Etchebaster is widely considered history's greatest player of real tennis , the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended.Born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France, a Basque fishing village, he served in the French Army during World War I before...
won the world championship here from Fred Covey
Fred Covey
Fred Covey , born Geoffrey Frederick Covey, in Woolwich, England, was world champion from 1912 to 1914 and from 1916 until 1928 at real tennis, the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended.Covey was a professional, who, apart from service in the Great War,...
in 1928, having failed to do so in 1927. Notable real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
professionals at Prince's include Henry Johns from c. 1926 to 1935.
The real tennis court of the International Tennis Club of Washington is known as Prince's Court. However, it takes its name from its primary founder, Fred Prince.
A new Prince's Club is being developed in Agadir, Morocco at the present time. It plans to re-create the previous ambiance of the original Prince's, and features Rackets, Real Tennis, Squash and Lawn Tennis courts. The project was designed by Robinson McColl Architects+Designers.
Sources
- Social history: Social and cultural activities, A History of the County of Middlesex, Volume 12: Chelsea (2004), pp. 166–176.