About Drummond Lawn Tennis Club


A brief history of the Club

1921: The Drummond Lawn Tennis Club is formed by members of St Mary’s and Christchurch congregations. The name is taken from the reverend ‘Morton Drummond’, who was the then rector of Wanstead.  It began by using one court in the garden of the old rectory in Redbridge Lane West.  This is now part of Wanstead High school.
1925: The club moves to a site in ‘Bushwood’, while the school is being built.
1926: The Nutter Field is bequeathed to the parishioners of Wanstead for recreation, by the misses Nutter.  The club then move here and mark out seven grass courts. Club members raise funds for the building of a wooden pavilion.
1952: The members raise funds for the first two hard courts to be built.
1962: A third hard court (now the bottom court) is added.  Three grass courts are still in use.
1968: Sunday play is allowed for the first time.
1971: The club celebrates its golden jubilee by installing electricity in the pavilion.
1979-1983: At some point in this period the remaining two grass courts become unusable, and the end of an era is reached.
1990: Funds are raised for a fourth hard court, which is opened by Christine Janes.
1991: The first team win the premier division of the Ilford League for the first time.  On the 26th of October, the pavilion which had stood for sixty five years, is destroyed by arson.
1993: The club rises from the ashes, and on the 2nd of October, the present pavilion is officially opened by a former captain, Mr Fred Grant.  This is funded primarily by a grant from ‘The Foundation for Sports and the Arts’, negotiated through the efforts of our architect member, Mr John Goldsmith.
1998: A fifth court (the top court) is built, and is opened by the mayor of Redbridge on the 27th March 1999.  The club is now transformed, and is thriving.
2001: The Drummond Junior Tennis Academy is established.
2004: A second Junior Tennis Academy is introduced for younger juniors.
2006: Floodlights installed on Courts 1-4.
2013: Pavilion upgraded and refurbished.