Tea Party Diva

The annual Wimbledon Tennis Tournament is associated these days as much with tea parties, strawberries and cream and fine dining, as it is with tennis itself.

In days gone by, tea parties were also part of the Wimbledon social calendar. Women had only just started to play tennis, and their clothes were changing to reflect greater freedom and easier movement. It was a time of rapid social change.

Women at Wimbledon in the Victorian Age

Victorian Women’s Tennis Outfit
Despite the constraints of bustles, whalebone corsets and skirts to their ankles, women began to embrace the new game of lawn tennis, both as players and in a social setting.

The illustration to the right shows an 1881 woman tennis player in her tennis costume.
Note the shape of the racquet, compared to modern day tennis racquets.

This enthusiasm for women playing tennis was not shared by all. Many thought that the woman’s place was more suited to the genteel feminine pursuits of the afternoon tea party.

As today, sporting events were marked as social occasions on the Victorian calendar. Ironically, it was the popularity of the women players which caused Wimbledon to grow as an event.

Wimbledon Tennis Tea Parties Today

The famous Wimbledon Tennis Tournament and a lavish menu for members, ensures that the spirit of the Victorian era Wimbledon tennis afternoon tea party lives on.

Times Past