Roehampton Club

The Roehampton Club is an exclusive private members’ sports club in Roehampton in southwest London, England. It is set in 100 acres (400,000 m²) of parkland, close to Richmond Park. Originally established in 1901 as an officers’ polo club, the Roehampton Club has a wide range of sporting and leisure facilities including an 18-hole golf course, 28 tennis courts, 5 squash courts, 4 croquet lawns, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, fitness studio, health and beauty clinic and bridge room.

Early history

At the turn of the 19th century there was a tremendous strain on the polo clubs of London to provide for the growing interest in the sport. Clubs existed in the vicinity of the capital but were considered to be too far to travel. It was the initiative of the Miller brothers that began the formation of the Roehampton club to alleviate this problem. Edward Miller had left the 17th Lancers in 1893 to start Rugby Polo Club at his home in Warwickshire. His brothers Ted, Charles (an Olympic polo player) and George had developed one of the largest polo pony supply businesses in Europe. Together they met with the other interested parties and formed a Limited Liability company to create the club. Lord Shrewsbury was appointed as the chairman and Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge was made president.

Roehampton

Coordinates: 51°27′22″N 0°14′09″W / 51.4561°N 0.2359°W / 51.4561; -0.2359

Roehampton is a suburban district in southwest London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east, and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park Golf Courses are west of the district, and just north of these is the Roehampton Gate entrance to Richmond Park — the largest of London's Royal Parks. Roehampton is 6.3 miles (10.1 km) southwest of Charing Cross.

Etymology

The Roe in Roehampton is thought to refer to the large number of rooks that still inhabit the area.

Description