The Latest Project From 
Merry Gourmet Miniatures

"Anyone For Tennis ?"
An Edwardian Afternoon Tea

By the early years of the 20^th Century summer in the English
country house was likely to be a very active affair; during
the week the family were sure to be in their town house in
London participating in the varied social scene that was the
Season, but at weekends special friends were invited back
to house parties. The upper class education of young ladies
was not geared to academic success but to accomplishments
that would help to fill in their leisure time as adults or facilitate
the entertainment of their guests. Embroidery , sketching,
reading, practising the piano, painting in water colours were
all genteel occupations considered most suitable. But gradually
through the last decades of the 19Century, a quiet revolution
had been taking place, young ladies started to participate in
"SPORTS!" There had always been riding, even if they did
not join the Hunt, although many were enthusiastic riders
to hounds, now they began to enjoy the outdoor sports
that their brothers had been able to participate in for years -
bicycling, archery, tennis, skiing, croquet, fishing, golf, skating,
both roller and ice, boating, yachting, photography, and there
was not only lady-like equipment to help pursue it, but suitable
clothing as well, specially tailored for feminine participation.
Shops, especially in London and the larger cities had started
to expand their premises and by the third quarter of the 19
Century were beginning to move away from general goods to
specialization.

One such shop was "Lillywhites" , John Lillywhite had
taken  a stand at the International Exhibition of 1862,
exhibiting articles associated with cricket. The general
public showed so much  interest that the Lillywhite family,
who were all famous cricketers were encouraged to open a
retail shop at 31 Haymarket in 1863. This was the first
specialist sports shop and proceeded to be extremely successful,
catering for the needs of the new enthusiastic sportsman and
woman, so much so that it was not long before it moved to
larger premises at  Piccadilly Circus.

All those new outdoor activities and the increase in popularity
of afternoon tea among the upper and middle classes, gave
rise to garden parties specially for one sport or another,
croquet, tennis, archery etc: a garden table and chairs were set
up and tea was brought out either on to the terrace or under a
shady tree on the lawn. Small dainty sandwiches, thin bread and
butter, scones and jam, pastry tartlets, fruit cake, seed cake,
and of course the reviving cup itself, both Indian and China,
were served by the butler or the housemaid to be received
gratefully by all the participants after a very invigorating
afternoons play.