About the Club

We are located on the border of Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire – ideally placed for anyone living within a 20 minute radius, such as the following nearby towns & villages: Wendover, Tring, Chalfonts, Chesham, Amersham, Chesham Bois, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Great Missenden, Princes Risborough, Weston Turville, Aston Clinton and Haddenham.

We pride ourselves on the warm welcome we give to everyone who comes to the Club, reflected in our ethos here at Halton:

Each talented, each different, but all valued.

We offer all the benefits of a large commercial tennis centre, set in a tranquil area with superb facilities including 16 courts (10 outdoor and 6 indoor), 3-court indoor Mini zone, a superb health and fitness club and Clubhouse Café & Bar.

In addition, we are probably the most family friendly club in the country – so while the kids enjoy a lesson or game of tennis with their friends, you can relax with a coffee and newspaper in our lovely Rothschild Clubhouse. Whether you want to stretch yourself at a competitive level, escape from the winter weather with some indoor tennis, or visit to use the gym or meet friends for lunch, Halton is a great place to stay fit and healthy.

We look forward to welcoming you soon. For all enquiries or to book a visit please contact the office.

Halton pavilion and grounds, 1906

Halton pavilion and grounds, 1906

Our history

The Tennis Centre has an intriging history – starting out life as a cricket pitch and pavilion in the early 1900s. The earliest images we have of the site date back to its beginnings such as the wonderful photo above showing our Rothschild pavilion and lawns and the team photo below.

Cricket at the pavilion, 1909

Cricket Club, 1909

Pavilion and canal, 1920

Pavilion and canal (where air domes currently are), 1920

Early history and the Royal Air Force

The site was given to the RAF, around 1919, along with Halton House and all the surrounding land by the owners (the Rothschild family) for use as a training camp during World War I.

In 1929, the cricket pitch was replaced with grass tennis courts for use by the Officers of RAF Halton. As a self-sufficient base, the RAF had a large farm and numerous greenhouses located just behind our current stand and a large vegetable patch where our current air domes are located. The canal was also in use by boats trading goods, and a large turnaround area for them was once located in the area behind the air domes. It was later moved towards Weston Turville, due to the large number of mosquitoes that resulted, and the turnaround filled in.

Halton has been home to Royal Air Force Tennis since those early days. In addition to matches and training sessions throughout the year, each summer sees the RAF Championships held here, before the RAF team head to Wimbledon to take on the Army & Navy in the annual Inter-Service Championships.

RAF Championships, 1977

RAF Championships, 1977

Halton Village Lawn Tennis Club

In the 1950s, due to falling player numbers, all ranks were allowed to use the facilities and then, in 1983, local civilians were also welcomed to play; the Halton Village Lawn Tennis Club (HVLTC) was born with about 100 members. The first airdome was erected by the RAF in 1979, to provide year-round tennis, and was the first of its kind in the UK; read a vintage magazine article from 1980.

Our outdoor courts have also had a few different lives – the 2 hard courts by the clubhouse were ‘shale’, the old fashioned messy red clay surface, until the mid-1980s when they changed to the tar macadam we have today. The other 2 hard courts suffered badly from moss, and in 2004 were changed to artificial grass. The 6 courts directly outside the clubhouse have been grass (1929 – 1985), artificial grass (1985 – 1995), acrylic (1995 – 2002) and currently are artificial grass once again.

Aerial view, 1999

Aerial view, 1999

Halton Tennis Centre

Following a fall in use by the RAF in the late 1990s, and pressure on finances, in 2001 it was decided to create a partnership between the RAFLTA and HVLTC (previously just a tenant), to try and create a sustainable future. The Halton Tennis Centre (HTC) was created to encompass both sides of the Club, with a 99 year lease enabling us to have security of tenure for the first time in our history, and invest in a long term future.

Many of our members, both RAF and civilian have long associations with Halton, and over the years have given generously of their time and expertise. In 2007, a number also supported the Centre with loans to help us complete a major facilities project which included extra indoor courts, 3 court mini zone, 2 outdoor courts and a comprehensive Health & Fitness Club.

Celebrating the Centenary, 2006

Celebrating the Centenary, 2006

Modern Milestones

1979 1st indoor bubble or airdome in the UK (costing £80k)
1982 Club welcomes local civilians for the first time
1983 Halton Village Lawn Tennis Club (HVLTC) officially begins
2002 RAF Tennis & the Village Club created the HTC umbrella organisation
2003 Health & Fitness Club opened in old Ladies changing room!
2006 Celebration of the site’s Centenary
2007 LTA High Performance Centre status achieved – one of only 2 clubs in the UK
2008 2nd indoor bubble/dome built, including the only indoor Mini Zone in the UK
2009 The Gym at Halton launches in its own bespoke building
2011 Outdoor Mini Courts introduced
2013 Introduction of new outdoor 3-court Mini Zone
2014 Skills Zone multi-sport area launched
2021 New Physio suite introduced

Aerial view, 2015

Aerial view, 2015