Bramcote Tennis Pavilion Scarborough, Yorkshire building repairs, Victorian Society architecture campaign, Property
Bramcote Tennis Pavilion, Scarborough, Yorkshire
12 August 2025
Location: Corner of Belvedere Road and Holbeck Hill, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, UK
Design: John Hall
Date built: 1885
Architectural style: Arts and Crafts Tudor Revival style
Action by the Victorian Society and local community brings about enforcement of repairs to rare Victorian Tennis pavilion in Scarborough
photo : Robert Walton
Bramcote Tennis Pavilion, Scarborough, Yorkshire Building News
Following the Victorian Society’s call for action from North Yorkshire Council in February 2025 in relation to the Bramcote Tennis Pavilion, repairs are now taking place to this remarkable surviving piece of international tennis history.
The Bramcote Tennis pavilion was placed on the Victorian Society’s influential Top Ten Endangered Buildings list in 2024. Local people and Cllr Maw raised their voices in concern this winter following storms that had impacted on the building. The Victorian Society wrote to North Yorkshire Council and the local MP to back the community’s calls for repairs and proper restoration.
The Council attended the structure in the Spring on an enforcement visit. Following this a course of action was agreed with the owner Scarborough College and the lessee of the land that includes the pavilion that would include immediate pressing repairs, and a proper plan for the long-term restoration of this building which is a crucial part of Scarborough’s and the international history of the sport.
Thomas Ollivier, Northern Conservation Adviser for the Victorian Society said:
‘The Victorian Society and the local community are very pleased to see that Bramcote Tennis Pavilion is now being looked after the way it has long needed. This Grade II building, recognised for its national significance and special interest, is undeniably a jewel of Scarborough’s history and important in its role in the formation of lawn tennis.’
photograph : Robert Walton
This Arts and Crafts veranda-style bungalow was once a lawn tennis pavilion, among the earliest structures for the modern sport internationally. Dating back to the sport’s inception in the 1860s-1870s, it holds significance in Scarborough’s tennis history which included championship-level competitions. It was commissioned for the North of England Lawn Tennis Club from local architect John Hall. The historic Scarborough building boasts changing rooms for both sexes, a significant social aspect of the sport demonstrating that women were playing early in the game’s history. Scarborough was an important place for tennis into the C20.
The Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings campaign highlights dilapidated and neglected buildings around England and Wales that are in desperate need of help. The media coverage the campaign gains helps to spotlight buildings that would otherwise lie forgotten and decaying. This publicity can alter their fate for the better. The Victorian Society has announced its Top Ten of Endangered buildings fourteen times. The list is based on public nominations from across England and Wales, and the buildings selected represent industrial, religious, domestic, and civic architecture from across the nation with unique historical and community significance and value. Nominated buildings must be dated between 1837 and 1914.
Victorian Society
The Victorian Society has a statutory role in the planning process. Our expert caseworkers are consulted on all applications where there is an element of demolition of listed Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Our work is largely funded by our members.
Our Conservation Advisers, guided by experts on our Buildings Committees, help local planning authorities and churches to avoid needless harm to Victorian or Edwardian buildings. The reuse of our wonderful historic buildings, rather than wasteful demolition and rebuild, is key to a sustainable future. Our input has saved landmark buildings ranging from St Pancras in London to the Albert Dock in Liverpool.
We run numerous events and visits, developed by our events committee, and publish books, journals, and a membership magazine to entertain and educate about our subject.
Ninety-nine per cent of people who live in England and Wales live less than a mile away from a listed heritage site. Preserving our heritage not only improves the places where we live, it also helps to combat the wider climate emergency.
Bramcote Tennis Pavilion Scarborough, Yorkshire building images / information received from the RIBA
Location: Corner of Belvedere Road and Holbeck Hill, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Y011 2TU, northern England, UK
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