Where Were The First Squash Courts Constructed?

One of the most fascinating contradictions with squash is that in the pantheon of racquet sports, it is a modern sport with remarkable historical origins, something that is still seen today in the design materials used to make and maintain squash courts.

As with all other racquet sports, its roots are found in jeu de paume, also known as royal or real tennis, which has the oldest world championship of any sport in the world.

Whilst seldom played today, it inspired a huge number of sports, including rackets, the direct descendant of squash and the reason why the latter was invented.

Rackets was descended from Bat Fives, a modification of the sport of fives which was itself descended from real tennis that was invented by the inmates of debtors’ prisons in London.

Because it was played in the prison yard, Bat Fives was modified to be played against a wall which led to the rules of rackets slowly establishing over several years.

It became popular enough to spread to local taverns, where it was played in the back alleyways, before spreading to schools before dedicated courts were finally made.

One of the most influential points for the spread of rackets and the origin of squash was Harrow School, where more standardised courts, rackets and balls were established.

By 1930, when rackets was an established sport at Harrow, several players playing against a wall whilst waiting to get into the established rackets courts noticed that a punctured rubber ball would make the game less predictable, as the ball appeared to squash when it smashed against the wall.

This new game was played by necessity in a much narrower court but became very popular in boarding schools, with smaller squash rackets being made to navigate the smaller courts.

By 1864, the school had built four dedicated outdoor squash courts and established a sport that is still widely popular today.