Do you have Wimbledon Fever and are you looking to impress the ladies with your backhand? There are plenty of places to brush up on your tennis skills in the royal borough. Whether you’re an avid tennis player, a complete beginner or just fancy playing tennis for fun, K&C treats its tennis-playing residents well. We highly recommend reserving these courts in advance, as they fill up quickly especially during those two weeks that London has sun.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea offer four beautiful locations for its residents to play tennis: Holland Park, Avondale Park, Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance and Kensington Memorial Park. The council operates these tennis courts, as well as organising time allotments. In addition to hiring a court, you can also hire equipment through their service.
Please note: The positions on the map refer to the location of the sports center or park responsible for the tennis courts, rather than their exact location. Actual coordinates of the tennis courts may vary slightly, but are generally close by.
Named after the Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Queen Victoria’s grandson), Avondale Park has three floodlit astroturf courts available for hire. Make sure you stop and smell the roses after you try to mimic the moves of the great Federer, as Avondale Park as a “floral lawn” made from over 65 different kinds of flowers.
The Chelsea Sports Centre makes use of the tennis courts at St. Luke's Gardens, just a short stroll from the centre on Sydney Street. Consecrated in 1812, St. Luke’s Gardens is a beautiful place to relax, but also a beautiful backdrop to play tennis. Originally built as a graveyard, St. Luke’s Gardens boasts a beautiful parish church with the tallest nave (60 ft) in all of London. St. Luke’s Gardens offers one hard tarmac tennis court for residents to enjoy. The Chelsea Sports Centre deals with all bookings for these courts.
Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance has two tarmac hard courts available for public hire. Located in North Kensington, this is the official starting point of the Notting Hill carnival. Before you start dancing and singing on the streets behind those colourful floats, why not bust out that old rusty tennis racket for a quick game of tennis? This place was named after (you guessed it) Emslie Horniman, an ex-council member who donated the land back in 1911 as a public recreational ground.
Holland Park tennis courts are an InKensington favourite. There are six well-maintained tarmac courts, as well as two floodlit courts for those of us who like to play in the evening hours. The scenery is, of course, stunning, as you’ll be within the grounds of the fabulous Holland Park. The royal borough also offers free community tennis hours at the Holland Park tennis courts, but please book early as spots fill up quickly!
Located within the beautiful Hyde Park, the Hyde Park Tennis Centre offers 6 hard courts with 2 mini tennis courts for your youngsters. Prices below are shown for non-members, wishing to play very occasionally. Please visit the website for information on how to obtain a “SmartCard” for court hire discounts and benefits if you would like to play at this centre regularly.
Kensington Memorial Park offers three tarmac tennis courts for members of the public to hire. The park was originally purchased in 1923 and is dedicated to those who gave their lives in World War I.