History
A Legacy Built on Passion, Tradition, and Tennis Excellence
Whitehall Tennis Club – Historical Timeline
The origins of Whitehall Tennis Club date back to the period immediately after WWII and involve Clarion Tennis Club, Epworth Tennis Club & Beachwood Tennis Club.
1945/46
Clarion Tennis Club
Clarion Tennis Club took on a yearly lease for the two red shale courts in Whitehall Road adjacent to British Legion Road Chingford.
1956/57
Clarion Tennis Club
Clarion Tennis Club was renamed Whitehall Tennis Club at an Extraordinary General Meeting. At this stage the club had around 30 members.
1960s
Epworth Tennis Club
Epworth Tennis Club was located behind the Methodist Church in Station Road Chingford. Significant members of Epworth at the time included Gerry Abbott (later to become Whitehall Chairman, Yvonne Dennison, who was to become Whitehall & South West Essex League Match Secretary for over 40 years and John Roust, later to become Whitehall Treasurer).
1970/71
Epworth Tennis Club
At this time the church decided to sell the land upon which Epworth Tennis Club was located to the council. This led to the building of a new C of E school. As a consequence of the loss of their facilities, Epworth Tennis Club joined forces with Whitehall Tennis Club. This included the Epworth Junior section under the tutorage of Yvonne Dennison.
1972/73
Epworth Tennis Club
At this time Whitehall (including the Epworth members) elected to join forces with Beachwood Tennis Club located on our present Whitehall site in Larkshall Road. The three clubs came together under the name Whitehall Tennis Club at the Larkshall Road site. The joint clubs made swift progress in the local South West Essex League and also joined the Essex league.
Beachwood Tennis Club (Whitehall Tennis Club, before it became Whitehall)
1972/73
Yvonne Dennison
Whitehall became famous in the area for its strong Junior section which had developed under the stewardship of Yvonne Dennison. On Saturday mornings 80-100 juniors would train at the club, many came from other local clubs including Connaught & Woodford Wells.
1934-2023
Gerry Abbott
For nearly half a century Gerry Abbott was Mr Whitehall Tennis Club. His unceasing enthusiasm and general bonhomie was quite legendary. Whitehall was the beneficiary of this but not the sole beneficiary. Gerry was for many years the Whitehall chairman but additionally he was the Junior Secretary for the Essex LTA for 15 years, ultimately being recognised by Essex Tennis as a Life Vice President. Gerry was also responsible for Junior tennis in LB Waltham Forest.
Gerry ran the Whitehall Wilson Junior tournament for 25 years and was well known in tennis circles across the county and beyond. When Whitehall found itself in financial difficulties it was Gerry that was at the heart of both the resulting negotiations and the fundraising. Away from tennis Gerry was a leading light in amateur dramatics and was chairman of CADOS (Chingford Amateur Dramatics and Operatic Society).
1970s-1990s
The success of the club in local and Essex leagues continued. Both Ladies and Men’s teams won many league titles and also produced many County Junior players representing Essex and Middlesex.