Creating a Bespoke Wooden Honours Board to Match an Existing One.

Introduction

At many clubs, the honours boards are more than a list of names, they're a piece of the club’s history. Whether it hangs in a squash court lobby, a golf clubhouse, or a cricket pavilion, it tells a story of dedication and achievement. We understand how important it is for a new honours board to blend seamlessly with the ones already in place. That’s why, when The All England Lawn Tennis Club came to us for a bespoke wooden honours board, our goal is always the same: get as close to the original as we can.

Why Matching Matters

We specialise in matching honours boards so your club’s display remains consistent and professional. When you walk into a space and see rows of names displayed on boards that share the same timber tone, font, and layout, it creates a sense of continuity and pride. A mismatched colour or style can be distracting, drawing attention for the wrong reasons. We’ve worked on sports club honours boards for golf, squash, and tennis clubs across the UK.

What Helps Us Get the Best Match for Your Honours Boards

The single most useful thing you can do is let us work with the original board in our workshop. Having it here means we can take a series of precise measurements — everything from the thickness of the timber to the edging profile, the stain depth, and even the exact spacing between letters.

Photographs, while useful as a reference, aren’t a reliable way to match colours. Camera settings, lighting conditions, and even the screen you’re viewing the image on can all distort colours. A deep mahogany stain might look warmer or cooler depending on these variables, which is why a side-by-side comparison in person is so valuable.

When clubs like Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club or Abingdon Squash Club in come to us for a bespoke honours board service, it gives us the best possible chance to create a new one that blends in well, most visitors would never know it wasn’t part of the original set.

When a Perfect Match Isn’t Possible

Sometimes an exact match simply can’t be achieved. Timber ages over time, gaining character and subtle colour changes that can’t be recreated instantly. Certain materials or finishes may no longer be available and hand written lettering is near impossible to exactly match. In those cases, we still work to get as close as possible, balancing stain colours, lettering styles, and finish types so the new board complements the existing one.

The aim is always to ensure the new board sits comfortably alongside the original, maintaining the overall look and feel.

Bespoke Wooden Honours Board Cost Considerations

 A custom wooden honours board designed to match your existing style involves extra craftsmanship and attention to detail. Because they’re tailored to match an existing design, bespoke wooden honours boards are more expensive than standard models. This is due to the additional time and craftsmanship involved, as well as the need to source specific timber and mix custom stains. Lettering may also require specialist design work to mirror the original as closely as possible.

It’s an investment in keeping your club’s display looking cohesive and professional for years to come.

How to Help Us Help You

When you contact us for a quote, it’s useful to share:

• A few clear photographs of your existing board for reference (even if the colours may not be exact)

• The dimensions of the board

• Details of the lettering style and any special finishes

• Whether it’s possible to send or bring the original board to us for matching

• If you need to replace an honours board that’s seen better days, we can recreate it to match your existing displays.

The more detail you can provide, the better we can help. And if you’re unsure about what’s possible, we’re happy to guide you through your options.

Keeping Your Club’s Heritage Alive

Matching a new honours board to an existing bespoke one takes skill, patience, and an eye for detail — all things we’ve been practising since 1970. Whether we’re working with a board from The All England Lawn Tennis Club or your local village cricket pavilion, we treat each one with the same care and respect.

Click here to contact us and tell us about your requirements. With the right information, we can create a new wooden honours board that feels like it’s always been part of your club’s story.