Charles Hierons

The son of a railway ticket inspector, Charles Hierons was the tennis professional at the famous Queen’s Club in London, and was also many times the professional singles champion of England. He finished third in both the professional singles and doubles (with Tom Fleming) at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Hierons was a founder member of the Lawn Tennis Professionals’ Association in 1927, as was his good friend Charles Read. The two men were largely responsible for its formation. The pair also contested the first ever British professional title in 1920, when Read won in three sets.

Read was an illustrator, and worked on publications that Hierons wrote, including How to Learn Lawn Tennis: A simple instructive treatise, published in 1919. Hierons and Read won the British Professional Doubles title in 1926 when the former was aged 51.

Heirons continued playing tennis well into his 70s and in 1947 played in the British Professional Doubles Championship one month before his 71st birthday. Following his death in 1956, Hierons left part of his estate to Read.