| Full name | The Ranelagh Club |
|---|---|
| Location | Barn Elms,England |
| Founded | 1878 (1878) |
| Closed | 1939 |
| Size | 130 acres |
| Activities | Polo,Golf |
TheRanelagh Club was apolo club located atBarn Elms in south westLondon,England. It was founded in 1878[1] as a split-off from theHurlingham Club and by 1894 was the largest polo club in the world. The club had approximately 3000 members in 1913, including many prominent military figures and members of different royal families.
On 18 July 1878, the club became the first to host a sports match underfloodlights when it played the Hurlingham Club.[2]
At its height the Ranelagh Club consisted of a large clubhouse (the inherited manor house ofBarn Elms), four polo grounds, tencroquet lawns, twotennis courts and an 18-holegolf course.[3] From the mid-1890s the club hosted an annual ladies' open golf meeting. From 1901 to 1936 the meeting included theInternational Cup, contested by theHome Nations. There were also two lakes forrowing.
As the 20th century continued, the club's patronage diminished and funds dwindled. It closed shortly beforeWorld War II, and the polo grounds were used for allotments under theDig for Victory scheme. The clubhouse burnt down in 1954. The lake was then drained, and the site converted into playing fields. Trees now cover the area which was previously occupied by the clubhouse and its gardens, and anathletics track resides on top of the drained land, reclaimed from the old lake.
The entire site now constitutes theBarn Elms open space, consisting of two separately-operated sports facilities. There is very little left to be seen of the Ranelagh Club except anice house and a 300m long driveway entrance off the Lower Richmond Road, which now leads to thecouncil housing of the Ranelagh estate.
