Ham Polo Club

The 1920s

Ham Common Polo Club was founded during the interwar revival of British polo. While London’s major clubs hosted the sport’s leading tournaments, Ham became part of a growing network of smaller clubs serving players who wanted regular polo close to the capital.

The club’s original grounds included one full-sized pitch between Richmond Gates and Sheen alongside two smaller playing areas near Ham Common. A regular coach there was Johnny Traill, the first Argentine 10-goaler, who lived nearby at Roehampton and helped shape the standard of play around the club.

From the beginning, Ham had a different character to the larger London institutions. It was less formal, more local and built around players who came for the enjoyment of the game rather than the prestige surrounding the major tournaments.

The 1930s

Throughout the 1930s, Ham established itself within the wider London polo scene. Contemporary polo publications described the grounds as carefully prepared and capable of producing excellent playing surfaces throughout the season.

Ham Common Polo Club, together with clubs such as Stoke d’Abernon, Worcester Park, Kingsbury and Crystal Palace, provided polo for Londoners who did not compete regularly at the “Big Three”, but who remained deeply committed to the sport itself.

The club developed a reputation for regular play, good horsemanship and an active summer season. By the end of the decade, Ham had become an established part of the wider Hurlingham Polo Association network.

The 1939 season was the club’s last before polo was interrupted by war.

The 1940s

The outbreak of the Second World War brought polo in Britain to an immediate halt. Grounds closed, players entered military service and many clubs disappeared altogether.

Ham was revived in 1946 by William Francis Walsh, known universally as Billy. Returning from service in the Army, Billy found that the Ham Gate stables where he had worked were on the market. Using his gratuity, he bought the stables and revived Ham Polo Club under HPA rules.

It is widely believed that Lord Cowdray, Arthur Lucas and Billy Walsh were the three men who helped rescue polo in Britain after the war. Billy would go on to shape the club for decades through his horsemanship, leadership and commitment to rebuilding the sport in London.

In 1947, the first post-war English polo tournament was held at Roehampton, where Ham Polo Club carried off the premier trophy, the Roehampton Cup, now played for at Ham.

The 1950s

The 1950s marked a period of stability and long-term growth for the club. Three years after the Roehampton victory, Ham began using a field adjacent to Ham House for matches.

In 1954, George Stevens, the Dysart family’s tenant at Ham House Farm, agreed to turn the Ham House orchard into a polo field for the club. The move helped establish the setting that still defines Ham Polo Club today.

As other London polo clubs gradually disappeared during the post-war decades, Ham endured and continued to grow. The club increasingly became a custodian of London polo tradition while remaining rooted in a strong local playing community.

The 1960s & 1970s

The post-war decades saw Ham establish itself as London’s enduring suburban polo club. Membership expanded, grounds improved and the club developed a strong summer calendar of matches and social events.

During the 1970s, Ham secured the freehold of its land, protecting the long-term future of polo at Ham Common. This permanence became increasingly important as development pressure across London threatened many sporting grounds and open spaces.

The club’s survival through this period ensured that Ham would remain part of London’s sporting landscape while many of its contemporaries disappeared.

The 1980s & 1990s

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ham continued to evolve as both a polo club and social institution. The club expanded its tournaments, strengthened its membership and welcomed a new generation of players into the sport.

The atmosphere at Ham during these decades reflected a balance between tradition and accessibility. Polo remained serious on the field, but the club itself retained a relaxed and welcoming character.

In 1996, Ham celebrated fifty years of continuous post-war operation and acquired a second ground behind the current clubhouse. The new ground was formally opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, now His Majesty King Charles III.

The 2000s & 2010s

The club entered the modern era while retaining its original character. Alongside competitive polo, Ham developed lessons, coaching and academy programmes that introduced new players to the sport within London itself.

At the same time, the club’s social life expanded beyond traditional fixtures. The grounds became increasingly known for summer hospitality, dining and spectator events alongside polo, helping introduce the sport to a wider audience.

The combination of open grounds, close viewing and a relaxed atmosphere gave Ham a distinctive place within London’s sporting and social scene.

Ham Polo Club Today

In its centenary season, Ham Polo Club continues to bring together sport, hospitality and community across its 23-acre grounds. From May to September, the club hosts polo, dining, lessons, private events and summer fixtures beside Richmond Park.

The clubhouse and 360° roof terrace overlook one of the last remaining open polo landscapes in London. From Friday Night Polo and Sunday fixtures to private events, lessons and membership, Ham continues to balance heritage with a modern season of sport and hospitality.

A hundred years after its founding, Ham Polo Club remains what it has always been: a club built around the enjoyment of the game, the quality of its horses and the community that gathers around them.