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The Birth of Lawn Tennis

It's a consecrated cemetery so the ground is not supposed to be disturbed other than ordinary weeding. The Bishop has to give a certain permission, Key Hill Brian told me proper name for it but I've forgotten!
rosie.


I've just "searched" and it's called a Bishop's Faculty. It's to ensure everything is carried out correctly.
 
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Robert
That seems very likely, but it looks as if they changed the name back by 1867, or maybe the main pub separated from the club by 1867, and was not listed. Directories are not always very complete , and sometimes palces just drop out while still being there.
Mike
Following from this very earlier post, the Old Rackets court was advertised for sale for conversion into a manufactury in the Birmingham post of 6.12.1866
 

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The Harry Gem Project (www.theharrygemproject.co.uk) now have all the necessary approvals to restore/rebuild Harry's grave. Fund-raising began last November with a campaign to corporate organisations. Our target is £10,000.00 to cover the work (£7,000.00 approx) with the remainder in trust against future repair and maintenance. We've raised just over £5,500.00 so far and are preparing a video for a Crowdfunder campaign. Once this is set up we will launch a public appeal and hope to commission the work this summer.
 
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The latest on the restoration of Harry Gem's grave in Warstone Lane Cemetery. We achieved our fund raising target a couple of months ago and commissioned Midland Conservation to carry out the work of rebuilding the grave architecture. The photographs show progress to date. One of the new side panels will carry a dedication to Gem and Perera, his great friend, as lawn tennis pioneers. `The existing ledger stone is off-site being engraved with his wife's details. She is buried in the same plot but her name, for whatever reason, wasn't added to the stone at the time. We think that work will be completed in a couple of weeks.
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I saw the restoration today, (sorry no photo), it does look very good. The engraving on the ledger stone doesn't seem very deep, I suppose when it has weathered again it will be more legible.
rosie.
 
The ledger stone is the orginal placed on the grave in 1881 when Gem was buried. The only new engraving on this is his wife's details. She died in 1890 and, for whatever reason, she was not recorded on the stone at the time.
 
Hello Robert, yes I remember when it was first uncovered, it's just that the engraving doesn't seem as clear as some of the stones. The old and new have been blended very well and it looks good.
rosie.
 
Hello Robert, yes I remember when it was first uncovered, it's just that the engraving doesn't seem as clear as some of the stones. The old and new have been blended very well and it looks good.
rosie.
We might need to arrange a bit of subtle cleaning.
 
It was 50 years since Ann Jones won Wimbledon, she attended to unveil a new tombstone to Harry Gem but nothing has been mentioned anywhere.
 
crikey carolina was it really 50 years ago since ann won wimbledon....how well i remember watching the final on tv in one of the classrooms at lozells girls school...was it recently she unveiled a new stone to harry gem?

lyn
 
Even the Beatles stopped recording of My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean to listen to the match against Billie Jean King on the radio
 
Yes, indeed it is the golden anniversary of Ann’s Wimbledon win and, yes indeed, she unveiled Harry Gem’s restored grave last week. There has been a short report in FaceBook but I’ve been waiting for photographs from the photographer before posting full details on our web site, FB page and here.
 
lovely to see those photos...just look at anne jones bless her....she was then and still is now my hero as i used to be a tennis and badminton nut could not get enough of playing it in my youth and harry gems grave is now looking good..:)
 
lovely to see those photos...just look at anne jones bless her....she was then and still is now my hero as i used to be a tennis and badminton nut could not get enough of playing it in my youth and harry gems grave is now looking good..:)
Thanks. It's been a long process but very rewarding.
 
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