Over the summer of 2020 we undertook a restoration project which we believe to be the first of its kind to restore a Joseph Bickley Real Tennis court floor. As the work progressed we produced a number of videos to document our progress. We also took time-lapse footage of the whole process which can be seen at the bottom of this page.
Enjoy watching the transformation.
The Need for Change
In the first video club chairman Sir Andrew Hamilton explains the reasons that led us to embark on this project.
Work begins
As the work begins and Project Manager Bruce Paxton talks about the task that lies ahead.
Laying a new floor
With the preparations complete it was time to lay a new concrete floor to an old recipe.
Attention to detail
The concrete would take three more weeks to fully cure but that didn't bring a stop to work on the court. Local artist and court neighbour Jenny Edge made good use of the time to restore the crowns on the court walls.
Cleaned and Polished
With the curing process complete and the court sufficiently dried out our concrete contractors could return to polish the floor to achieve the ideal playing surface.
Painting Chases
With the concrete polished it was time for Jenny to return to paint the all important chase lines to complete the restoration.
The verdict
With the restoration complete and the court re-opened for play we invited 13 times and reigning men's world Champion Rob Fahey and his wife 5 times and reigning Ladies world champion Claire Fahey to bring their family along and give us their views on the restored court floor.
TIME-LAPSE
If you thought that Claire and Rob were swift on court take a look at some of our workers (speeded up).
The first video shows the whole process from start to finish and this is followed by individual footage from the individual stages.