Wimbledon is a district in South West London, it is located in the London Borough of Merton and is West of Streatham, South West of Clapham, South East of Richmond and North of Morden. Although located in London’s suburbs, this neighbourhood area allows one to get to Victoria in central London, in under 40 minutes via public transport. Due to its suburban location, there are many green open spaces around Wimbledon, which includes Wimbledon Common and Wimbledon Park. It would also be strange to not mention the international tennis tournament to which Wimbledon lends its name!

Wimbledon began to develop during the early to mid 19th century, Wimbledon can be split into two main areas: the “village”, which as its name suggests is older than Wimbledon “town”. In Anglo-Saxon times Wimbledon was known as “Wynnman’s Hill”, which refers to a local land owner called Wynnman; the “don” part of the name is a recent addition, meaning hill in old English.

Wimbledon has a long history, which is made evident by the Hill Fort that can be found in Wimbledon Common, dating back to the Iron Age. The fort had various names such as “Bensbury”, “Warren Bulwarks”, “The Rounds” but, was most widely known as “Caesar’s Camp”. Wimbledon’s relatively close proximity to Central London attracted wealthy residents to the area from the 17th century, such as Robert Bell, a Director of the British East India Company, alongside Charles I.

This area is home to the largest tennis museum in the world, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, which was opened in 1977, to mark 100 years since the Wimbledon Championships tournament began. The 1976 Formula One British World Champion, James Hunt, lived in Wimbledon, and often spent time traveling through the Commons.

Wimbledon has been identified as an ‘air quality focus area’ meaning air pollution in this district is above EU limits.

Wimbledon is preparing for a tram extension in which up to 10,000 homes will be built. The tram would also link Wimbledon to Sutton, providing a much needed alternative transport option for residents. That said, plans for the initiative have suffered a number of delays and uncertainties. While TfL backs the project, its had trouble procuring the funds for it. In more positive news, Wimbledon town centre has been undergoing major regeneration supported by the local council. YMCA St Paul’s Group has received planning consent from Merton Council to deliver a brand-new YMCA hostel in Wimbledon, consisting of 121 en-suite rooms to promote independent living, alongside an adjoining development of 135 new homes, plus an improved café, gym and fitness studio for wider community use. Another development is Wimbledon Grounds, which delivers 600 new apartments surrounding a specially built stadium for AFC Wimbledon, as well as new retail spaces.

Aside for residential and commercial development, the local council and other groups have been actively enhancing the area’s public realm. Love Wimbledon, a non-profit limited company established by local businesses, has secured funding of £120,000 from Merton Council to create ‘Hartfield Walk’, which intends to transform underused space in the area between Blacks and Robert Dyas on The Broadway. A new paved front entrance to New Wimbledon Theatre was also completed by the council, coinciding with the theatre’s reopening.