The Mont Albert District - a Pictorial History 1830 to 2013

1948 - Grange Tennis Courts

Home
Demographics
Prologue
Indigenous Heritage
Geology and Topography
Vegetation and Fauna
Climate and Hydrology
1830s
1840s to 1870s
1850s - Parish of Nunawading
1852 - Whitehorse Inn
1861 - Postal Services
1880s - Electricity Supply
1880s to 1920s
1882 - Phantom Railways to Doncaster
1883 - Residential Heritage Precinct
1884 - Broughton Park subdivsion
1884 - Brickworks
1885 - Surrey Hills district - map
1888 - Football Clubs
1889 - Gas Supply and Gasworks
1889 - Doncaster Electric Tramway and Tower
1890 - Mont Albert Railway Station
1892 - Surrey Hills Golf Club
1892 - Water Supply, Reservoirs and Sewerage
1899 - Telephone Services
1905 - The Surrey Dive
1907 - Scouts and Guides
1912 - Mont Albert Village Shopping Precinct
1914 - Mont Albert Progress Association
1916 - Californian Bungalows
1917 - Schools
1917 - Wattle Park
1924 - Early Shortwave Broadcasting from the Surrey Hills district
1924 - Black's Estate
1925 - Bus Services
1929 - Tramways
1930 - Cricket Clubs in Mont Albert
1930s - Balwyn - Beckett Park Bonfires and Wildlife Sanctuary
1948 - Grange Tennis Courts
1957 - Pioneer Park
1961 - Surrey Hills Communications Tower
1981 - Box Hill Miniature Railway
Koonung Creek Parklands
Heritage Notes
Mont Albert Road - Early History
Mont Albert Rd - the East End
Elgar Rd - north and south of Mont Albert Rd
Mont Albert Rd - View St to Elgar Rd
Bushland Reserves
Service Associations
Sporting Clubs
Box Hill Institute of TAFE
Walking Trails
Epilogue
Timeline
The Author's Websites
References and Acknowledgements

gracetennismap.jpg
Location of courts, oultlined in red

Historical
It is not commonly known, but the Grange Tennis Courts were located at the end of Grange St, Mont Albert.
 
They were owned by a Mr Tinewell, of 13 Grange St.
 
The land for the courts had been acquired in 1948, when a 250 ft strip of paddock at the rear (south) of the properties at 402 to 408 Mont Albert Rd was purchased by Mr. Tinewell.
 
This yielded a total area for the Courts measuring 250 ft by 276 ft.
 
These properties had previoulsly been of 476 ft depth, and the new depth was thus reduced to 200 ft.
 
The author's home is on one of these large properties!
 
Pedestrian access to the Courts was via a footway (which still exists) to Grange St  adjacent to no. 13 Grange St, from a right-of-way running between Mont Albert Rd and Windsor Crescent.
 
Vehicle access was from Grange St  or Blenheim Avenue.
 
The courts were of red gravel porous construction. A blue-stone open drain extended along the northern boundary adjacent to the rear of the properties in Mont Albert Rd. A high wire fence along this boundary was intended to limit errant tennis balls!
 
The author notes that he found some of these balls in April 2013 in his back-yard!
He recalls spending many hours on the Courts until their closure!
 
Various owners of the property at no. 19 Grange St, have discovered red gravel under their back garden. It would appear that when the Courts were closed down, most of the red gravel was not removed.
 
The public Courts existed until 1968, when the owner sold the land for residential development. The extension of Grange St resulted in new houses being built on nos.15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, 28 and 29.
 
As part of this development, Grange St was extended north and west.
 
 

Click on any image to display a full size view!