> Brief History
 

In 1977 and 1978, the Amateur Doubles Championship was played at Petworth House. Alan Lovell and Andrew Windham defeated Howard Angus and David Warburg in both finals.

In 1978, there was restoration of the dedans and the ancillary areas, creating improved facilities for the players. The floor of the court was repainted for the second or possibly the third time since the Portland stone slabs were originally laid in 1872.

In 1988, The Browning Cup was again played at Petworth, and on this occasion, Kevin Sheldon beat Colin Lumley. On Sunday 9th May 1999, a lunch was held at The Chantry in Storrington, the home of the Chairman David Godfray, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the reopening of the court and the foundation of the club called Petworth House Tennis Court.

To celebrate the arrival of the New Millennium on 1st January 2000, a keen group of P.H.T.C. members enjoyed a champagne breakfast and several hours of reasonably competitive doubles Tennis. During the summer of 2000, the interior of the court was renovated and repainted, following a detailed analysis of previous layers of paint (taken from some 28 sites around the court) which had been applied since the court had been built in 1872. At this time, the Wyndham coat of arms was painted high up on the Hazard end wall.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (as at 01 October 2006):
The authors, Brian Rich and Alan Chalmers, wish to place on the record their grateful thanks for the inclusion of photographs, information and documents to the following:
  1. Lord Egremont, the Petworth House Archives, and the National Trust.
  2. “The Willis Faber Book of Tennis & Rackets” by Lord Aberdare (1980), published by Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd in London; specifically the section on Petworth House at pages 296 to 299 written by D. Smith-Bingham.
  3. “The J.T. Faber Book of Tennis & Rackets” by Lord Aberdare (2001), published by Quiller Press Limited in London; specifically the section on Petworth House at pages 310 to 313 written by Brian Rich.
  4. The Petworth House Tennis Court match book. This is inscribed internally: “Petworth House Tennis Court from Andrew Dawson given to him by Max Heilbut on the opening of the Court on 3rd April 1960.” (Max Heilbut was the owner at that time of Holyport Real Tennis Court).
  5. The staff of the Library at Lord’s.
 
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