The Fundraising and Conservation of Harry Gem’s Scrapbook

When I think of Wimbledon I obviously think of tennis, strawberries and cream and its perfect green grass courts. I have never thought of Birmingham. However, when I saw ‘Harry Gem’s scrapbook’ back in 2019 that changed. Within the scrapbook there was a booklet with an annotation crossing out ‘Rules’ replacing it with ‘The Laws of Lawn Tennis.’ (See Fig 1.) Having read up a bit more I realised that the tennis played at Wimbledon today was developed by Harry Gem, a Brummie!

Fig 1. ‘Laws of the Game’ booklet within Harry Gem’s scrapbook
MS 3057

Harry Gem was a Solicitor from Birmingham. Along with his friend Augurio Perera, they developed a game which became known as lawn tennis, sometime between 1859 – 1865. They formed the first ever tennis club in Leamington Spa in 1872 with a second club being set up in Edgbaston shortly after. The game Harry Gem helped to develop was the beginnings of the game of tennis which we know today. Gem’s scrapbook contains various mementos showing us his thoughts and what interested him throughout his life, including his interest in developing the then new sporting game – Lawn tennis!