The Tennis Club

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From the beginnings of the Tenants Estate in the early 1900s there was provision for a range of sports on the top 'rec' (between Kingsley, Woodlands Park and Northfield Roads), including a bowls green and a tennis court. Clubs formed to utilise both, which flourished, but by the 1990s membership of the tennis club had waned, the court had become run-down, and, despite interest from Kings Norton Boys School, it was decided to remove the court and replace it with a second green for the bowls club.

Due to its closure, and the court being removed, not much is known of the club, but the photo (above) shows some of the members in the early 1950s. They are, from left to right, Bill Tallis, Vic Clark, Hetty Willetts, Grace Clark, Charlie Evans, Arthur Hodgkins, Marjorie Parker and Alison Hodgkins. They're standing on the Quadrangle, outside 30 Kingsley Road, where Alison grew up; the visible house being 34 Kingsley Road.