Phipps Family History: Tennis Anyone?

Tennis season is well underway with the next tournament stop at the All England Lawn & Croquet Club in Wimbledon in early July. Mr. Phipps was an avid lawn tennis player as evinced in the aerial view of the South Lawn with grass courts near either end of the South Terrace staircase (see right). He had a tennis house built in the 1920’s most likely designed by New York architect, James W. O’Connor. The shingled structure, located east of the Laundry House, was razed in the 1990’s. So it came as a surprise in January 2020 when an inquiry from England brought an exciting discovery. The sender attached images of a large watercolor rendering of an elaborate brick structure labeled “Tennis Court” having many of the same architectural features as Westbury House. He asked if the structure still existed.

The Tennis Court, as it is called, was the inspiration of George W. Crawley, designer of Westbury House and gardens. Much of Old Westbury Gardens, as we know it, was completed by 1906. A cartouche in the upper right-hand corner is entitled: “Tennis Court, Westbury. Long Island, U.S.A. For John S. Phipps, Esq.”

Turn the picture over and there is an original label indicating that Crawley submitted his design to the “Salon de 1908 Societie des Artistes Francais, Section d’Architecture” an annual competitive exposition of the arts held in Paris (see left).

There is no documentation in the archives of Crawley seeking Mr. Phipps’ approval to design a tennis house. Crawley and Phipps had numerous discussions about additional guest wings on Westbury House, and a proposal for an expanded service wing – all deemed too expensive. It’s possible there is missing correspondence between the two men.

The owner, who contacted us, had purchased the picture in 2000 from a respected English art dealer. He bought it because the structure reminded him of his own home outside of London that had been designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens with gardens by Gertrude Jykell, two of the most notable English architectural and landscape designers respectively of the early Edwardian era. He was ready to part with it and after considerable delays caused by the pandemic, the picture arrived at Westbury House in 2022 (see image, right).

We can’t help but wonder how the rendering ended up in the open art market. Had it been part of Crawley’s estate when he died in 1926? In the 1980’s his brother-in-law, who survived him, presented the Gardens with an imposing portrait of Crawley painted by Sir Oswald Birley - so it seems that he would have presented the rendering, too, if he owned it. We are delighted to add this presentation drawing to the George Crawley collection.

A larger image of the tennis house is below. Examine and enjoy its many details – players in tennis whites approaching the entrance, a staffer cleaning a window on the second floor and idyllic landscape features abound. 

~Lorraine Gilligan, Director of Preservation