The Ladies Lawn Tennis Club in Singapore was established in 1884. The Club became quite popular soon after it was formed, but membership was falling steadily by the 1920s. It was eventually closed in 1932 and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) took over the grounds at Dhoby Ghaut.
Formation of the Club
Brownfoot (2002) wrote that the Ladies Lawn Tennis Club was established by European women in Singapore. She said that although men controlled women's involvement in sport in the early years and limited their use of existing club facilities to specific days and certain times, European women established the women-only sports club, Ladies Lawn Tennis Club. However, according to newspapers of the period and the book One Hundred Years of Singapore (1991), the Club was established by a man, A. L. Donaldson of the law firm Donaldson and Burkinshaw. It was also reported that the government had given permission for the Club to occupy the premises at Dhoby Ghaut on 29 May 1884 and that the pavilion was estimated to cost, painted and furnished, $632.
In 1884 when the Club started, Dhoby Ghaut was considered rural. The museum had not been built, the canal still had earthen banks and there were no houses around. According to Tyers (c1993), "...although not considered an attractive locale at the time, the Club on a grassy strip of land...was an exclusive and snobbish meeting place for colonials". This is supported by Brown (2007), who wrote that men could join only as subscribers and being admitted to the Club as one was a ticket of eligibility because the committee consisted of ladies only and the Club was, as a consequence, very difficult to get into. He also said that at the time, to be able to call oneself "of the Ladies Lawn" meant that one had "arrived". He felt that the only reason they admitted him was that he could sing.
The Club's formation in Singapore came only a decade after lawn tennis was revived in England on 25 February 1874 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, a British army officer. He and his team had designed the court and the rules of the game in December 1873.
Growth of the Club
Soon after the Ladies Lawn Tennis Club was formed, it became quite popular. In One Hundred Years of Singapore (1991), it was stated that the Club had accumulated seven courts in the Dhoby Ghaut area by 4 October 1884. It was large by any standard, and by 10 November of that year, it was a five-acre lawn. The Club and its green belt was a recreational spot with regular evening games of tennis. The land was later called Dhoby Green.
Demise of the Club
By the 1920s, it was clear that membership was falling steadily and the Club could not be revived. It was reported in The Straits Times on 29 July 1932 that the Ladies Lawn Tennis Club would cease to exist by the end of that month. It seemed that the Club had been experiencing increasing difficulty in carrying on for the past two to three years and, with the great number of clubs offering tennis, support for the Club had waned so badly that its committee was forced to close it down. The ladies were to continue playing tennis but at the Tanglin Club instead, another haunt of the colonials of the time.
The grounds were to be taken over by the YMCA. As the turf was large enough, the main portion was to be set aside for 12 tennis courts, while a plot would also be designated for basketball, volleyball, cricket and other games. The YMCA also reported that it was going to open a women's tennis section, which was a new venture for the association in Asia. In addition, the YMCA was to take over the liabilities of the Ladies Lawn Tennis Club, which amounted to $5,000.
Author
Jeanne Louise Conceicao
References
An European bath house [Microfilm: NL 5053]. (1887, October 25). The Straits Times, p. 2.
Brown, E. A. (2007). Indiscreet memories: 1901 Singapore through the eyes of a colonial Englishman. Singapore: Monsoon Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5703 BRO-[HIS])
Brownfoot, J. N. (2002). Healthy bodies, healthy minds: Sport and society in colonial Malaya. International Journal of the History of Sport, 19(2-3).
(Call no.: R 796.09 IJHS)
Buckley, C. B. (1965). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore 1819-1867. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 BUC)
Gillmeister, H. (1997). Tennis: A cultural history. London; Washington [D.C.]: Leicester University Press.
(Call no.: R 796.342094 GIL)
Good progress made by YMCA [Microfilm: NL 1473]. (1933, March 1). The Straits Times, p. 16.
How Singapore women kept fit in the sixties [Microfilm: NL 1513]. (1936, July 30). The Straits Times, p. 1.
Josey, A. [1969]. Golf in Singapore. [Singapore: Asia Pacific Press].
(Call no.: RSING 796.352 JOS)
Ladies' Lawn to close [Microfilm: NL 1451]. (1932, July 29). The Straits Times, pp. 13-14.
Makepeace, W., Brooks, G. E., & Braddell, R. St J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 2). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE-[HIS])
Memories of Singapore [Microfilm: NL 5102]. (1947, April 19). The Straits Times, p. 8.
Singapore Recreation Club. [2008?]. Singapore Recreation Club celebrates 1883-2007. Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 796.0605957 SIN)
Tyers, R. K. (c1993). Ray Tyers' Singapore: Then & now (Rev. ed.). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE-[HIS])
The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
