Edgbaston Priority Club is celebrating a historic milestone by looking back on its great champions and traditions of the past, while looking forward to providing the best sporting facilities for its stars of the future and continuing development of its role in the community

If you’re a fan of tennis, particularly the quintessentially English form of lawn tennis, you may already know that Birmingham has a unique place in its history. Actually, Edgbaston to be precise. It’s here, in 1859 that a certain Major Harry Gem and Augurio Perara first marked out a croquet lawn at ‘Fairlight’ in Ampton Road as a tennis court. That court, and the world’s first game of lawn tennis played upon it, is less than half-a-mile from another Birmingham landmark – and home to tennis, fitness and wellbeing excellence – Edgbaston Priory Club (EPC).

This year marks an incredible milestone for EPC — its 150th anniversary. It’s a year of celebration, reflection, and pride commemorated with a series of events that reflect the spirit, history and community at the heart of the club.

The club as we know it today was formed in December 1964 as a result of a merger between two long established clubs; Edgbaston Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club founded in 1878 and Priory Lawn Tennis Club founded in 1875. The merger came about in May 1963 when a fire completely destroyed Priory’s clubhouse – which is reflected in the club’s logo of a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Some of the world’s earliest lawn tennis tournaments were held at Edgbaston, Priory and then Edgbaston Priory Club from 1882 to the 1970s such as the Priory Whitsun Tournament, the Davis Cup, the Midland Counties Tournament and now the Lexus Birmingham Open.

At its core today, the club exists to provide a welcoming and world-class environment where members of all ages and abilities can thrive — whether on court, in the gym or socially. It’s not over-hyping to say that for many of its members, it’s a way of life. As recently appointed CEO Claire Daniel explained: “What makes EPC unique is our fusion of tradition and innovation. Members enjoy elite facilities, expert coaching, a strong sense of camaraderie, and a calendar packed with both competitive and social events. We host major events like the Lexus Birmingham Open, serve as a launchpad for local and national talent and run community programmes that open doors to sport. We’re proud to be both a sporting beacon and a social cornerstone in Birmingham.”

Providing the facilities and back-up needed to allow all-ages to achieve the best they can be in sports is at the heart of the club’s past, present and future. Household names like squash legend Jonah Barrington and Wimbledon champion Ann Jones were just regular club members who went on to reach the pinnacle of their sports. And the club is still developing elite athletes today – as well as providing the best facilities for budding amateurs and less talented ‘have-a-go-heroes’. Despite the club expanding and becoming slicker over time, there still a familiar community vibe about the place. The club has supported many grassroots community programmes with local schools such as Lordswood School and also in Cannon Hill Park, as well as working with the Heart of Birmingham Vocational College that helps provide workplace opportunities for young people with learning disabilities.

“With our proud heritage comes the challenge of staying relevant, fresh, and forward-thinking,” said Claire. “Our biggest challenge is balancing tradition with innovation — honouring our 150-year history while adapting to the changing needs of our members and the wider sporting landscape. We also face operational challenges common to member-led institutions – ensuring long-term financial and environmental sustainability, maintaining and upgrading our facilities to the highest standards, and continually enhancing the member experience. We already boast some of the finest squash courts and tennis surfaces in the UK, but the journey to excellence never stops.”

Looking to the future, the club has identified four key areas – grow participation through grassroots partnerships, inclusive programming, and outreach to schools and underrepresented communities; enhance member experience through technology and digital innovation; raise its profile across the city; and embrace emerging trends in sport – such as Padel and Pickleball.
So, as EPC celebrates this very special anniversary, we raise our glasses (or should that be raquets) to the club’s next 150 years.

LEGENDS & ICONS

Many legends of tennis have graced the club’s courts over the years. The first Wimbledon ladies singles winner, Maud Watson, was a member of Edgbaston Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. She brought the Wimbledon trophy back to Birmingham with her name engraved on it in 1885, and it is still awarded annually.

King’s Heath-born, Ann Jones, a life member of the club, won Wimbledon in 1969, two French Open singles titles, and reached six other Grand Slam singles finals. Ann went on to play an active role in the club, mentoring young players and refereeing tournaments. The new centre court which opened in 2013, was named after her.

Many more early Wimbledon winners perfected their strokes on the courts of the two clubs, among them Joan Fry (Wimbledon ladies singles finalist in 1925) and Dorothy Round (1934 and 1937).
In the 20th century Fred Perry, Dan Maskell (for many years the BBC’s voice of Wimbledon), Bjorn Borg, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova played at the club and more recently Maria Sharapova, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.