Wimbledon is a well-known and affluent suburb in the southwest of London, England and is part of the London Borough of Merton [1]. It is, of course, best known for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships (or often just referred to as Wimbledon) held every summer and which form part of the worldwide tennis grand slam series. This is the oldest tennis championship in the entire world.
Wimbledon (District line). During the Tennis Championships, direct buses run from outside for a small charge.
South Wimbledon (Northern line).
Southfields (District line). This is the most convenient station for the tennis club.
Please note that the quickest route into Wimbledon from central London is usually via a combination of Tube and the National Rail. Though the District Line is the most obvious choice from central London, it is usually the least efficient. Trains depart every 3-5 minutes from Waterloo to Wimbledon during week days with a journey time of about 15 minutes (South West Trains operates this service.)
Wimbledon Station is the most important transport hub in the area. Located in central Wimbledon, it is well served by South West Trains [2] and First Capital Connect [3] train companies.
Wimbledon Station has two entrances, one at the front of the station serving as a drop off point for cars and a taxi stop and one to the side that leads to buses and a shopping mall. Disabled access to the 10 platforms are by lifts. Public toilets can be found near the tube District Line platforms. There are food and drink shops within the station complex.
The quickest way from Gatwick is to catch a fast [4] Southern train for Victoria and get off at Clapham Junction. Here, change onto a South West Trains service south bound to Wimbledon (weekdays: 15 an hour).
From Heathrow, you can either catch the London Underground Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Earls Court and change onto the District Line to Wimbledon, or you can catch the Heathrow Express (or Heathrow Connect) service to London Paddington Station and then catch a Wimbledon bound District line train from there. Both of these require luggage movement through underground stations.
Wimbledon is served by the Wimbledon to Croydon tramlink which terminates at Wimbledon Station (route 3), other tram stops in the area include Dundonald Road and Merton Park. A route map can be found here [5].
The A219 runs through Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon Bridge to the Broadway and beyond. The A3 is the main route to Wimbledon when coming in from the M25 Motorway or Heathrow Airport. From Gatwick Airport follow the M23/M25/A217. The nearest petrol station is an Esso Garage with a Tesco Metro (Open 24 hours) found along the Broadway towards South Wimbledon underground station.
Wimbledon is mostly pedestrian friendly and most places can be easily reached on foot. Buses leave outside the Centre Court Shopping Mall next to Wimbledon station. The main bus station is near Hartfield Rd on Sir Cyril Black Way (behind Morrisons supermarket and the car park on Hartfield Rd). Additionally, there is a taxi stand outside the main entrance to Wimbledon Station.
Wimbledon is served by local bus routes including routes 57 Kingston/Clapham Park), 93 (Putney Bridge/North Cheam), 131 (Kingston/Tooting Broadway), 156 (Vauxhall), 163 (Morden), 164 (Sutton), 200 (Raynes Park/Mitcham), 219 (Clapham Junction), 493 (Richmond/Tooting) and N87 Night Bus (Aldwych/Kingston). A bus map of Wimbledon (PDF) can be found here [6].
Parking available at Centre Court Shopping Mall. Off-street parking is normally made available by home owners looking to make some additional income from the rental of their driveways and garages. Prices are normally in the region of £30-50. Alternatively, you can try renting one of these private parking spaces online through various services.
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, Centre Court, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Church Rd, [7]. 10:30AM-5PM, closed 24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, middle Su and first M after the Championships. £6, concessions £5, children under 16 £3.75, children under 5 free, tours available with additional feeedit
The windmill on Wimbledon Common.
Wimbledon Common, ☎ +44 20 8788 7655 (rangersoffice@wpcc.org.uk), [8]. 24 hrs. A large area (460 hectares) of woodlands, open grass areas and healthland with a windmill, nature trails and ponds.Free. edit
Wimbledon Society Museum of Local History, 22 Ridgway, Wimbledon, ☎ +44 20 8296 9914. Sa Su 2:30PM-5PM, by appointment at other times. Showing local history in Wimbledon from the Stone Age to the present day.Free. edit
Wimbledon Windmill Museum, (On Wimbledon Common), [9]. End Mar-end Oct Sa 2PM-5PM, Su 11AM-5PM. A museum which depicts the history of windmills.£1, children £0.50, concessions £0.50. edit
Buddhapadipa Temple, 14 Calonne Rd, [10]. Temple ground: M-F 9AM-6PM, main temple: weekends. The first Buddhist temple in the UK.edit
Cannizaro Park, (West side of Wimbledon Common, next to the Cannizaro House Hotel), [11]. 34 acres of parkland.edit
Each June the All England Lawn Tennis Championships [12] are organized, one of the four "Grand Slams" for professional tennis.
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club has been chosen to host the tennis matches for the 2012 Olympic Games from Thursday 2 August – Saturday 11 August, 2012. 172 athletes will compete for 4 gold medals in tennis [13].
New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, ☎ 0870 060 6646, [14]. The theatre is a Grade II Listed Edwardian theatre showing West End plays and musicals.edit
Odeon Cinema, Odeon Wimbledon, The Piazza, The Broadway, [15]. 0871 22 44 007. A large modern multiplex in Central Wimbledon with 12 screens and IMAX screen.edit
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, ☎ +44 20 8543 4888, [16]. Telephone bookings: M 9:30AM-4:30PM, Tu-F 9:30AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM; box office opening hours: Tu-F 9:30AM-4:30PM, Sa 11AM-5:30PM. Childrens theatre.edit
Ridgway Stables, 93 Ridgway, ☎ +44 20 8946 7400, [17]. Tu-Su 9AM-5:30PM. Lessons and horse riding on Wimbledon Common.edit
Wimbledon Village Stables, 24 a/b High St, ☎ +44 20 8946 8579, [18]. Lessons and horse riding on Wimbledon Common.edit
It is possible to still see the dying-out pastimes of speedway, banger racing and dog-racing at Wimbledon Stadium,[19] one of the few-remaining dog-track arenas of its kind in London (which once had 23), along with at Walthamstow and Crayford. The football team AFC Wimbledon plays further west nowadays in a ground-share at Kingstonians, in Berrylands (after the original 'Crazy gang' was forcibily relocated to Milton Keynes by the then-owner for commercial reasons).
Shops are to be found along the Broadway towards South Wimbledon and along Wimbledon Hill towards Wimbledon Village and and in Wimbledon Village itself.
Centre Court Shopping, (In Central Wimbledon next to the station), ☎ +44 20 8944 8323, [20]. M-W F 9.30AM-7PM Sa 9AM-6PM, Th 9.30AM-8PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Shopping mall with two floors of shops. Includes shops such as Body Shop, Boots, Debenhams, Gap, H&M, Kew, La Senza, Monsoon, River Island, Sony and Warehouse. There are food outlets on the third floor and a cafe on the ground floor.edit
The Fish Peddlar, 40 Replingham Rd (tube: Southfields), ☎ +44 20 8871 4411 (info@fishpeddlar.co.uk), [21]. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-4PM. Southfields' fishmonger. Stock can be a bit sparse early in the week, but from Thursday onwards there is usually a decent amount on offer. Orders can be placed in advance.edit
Supermarkets. Include Morrisons (The Broadway), M&S (Centre Court), Sainsburys (Worple Rd and The Broadway towards South Wimbledon), Tesco Metro (Centre Court, South Wimbledon & Wimbledon Village) and Waitrose (near Wimbledon Bridge).edit
Elys is a Department store just off the High Street and a few minutes' walk from the Tube & Rail station.
The Alexandra, 33 Wimbledon Hill Rd, ☎ +44 20 8947 7691, [31]. Large pub with a wine bar next to the main pub called Smart Alex. Food served. Roof terrace with bar.edit
All Bar One, 37 Wimbledon Hill Rd, ☎ +44 20 8971 9871. Food Served.edit
Bar Sia, 105-109 The Broadway (Next to the Wimbledon Theatre), ☎ +44 20 8540 8339. A Small shady dirty bar, with rude service.edit
Bertie's Bar, 2 Hartfield Way, ☎ +44 20 8879 7537. A wine bar below the Prince of Wales Pub. Seating outside. Food served.edit
Brewery Tap, 68-69 High St, ☎ +44 20 8947 9331. Good selection real ales. One of the better pubs in the village.edit
The Old Garage, 20 Replingham Road (tube: Southfields), ☎ +44 20 8874 9370. Larger, cleaner and more modern than The Grid.edit
Rose and Crown, 55 High St, ☎ +44 20 8947 4713 (fax: +44 20 8947 4994). Food served, seating outside.edit
Suburban Bar and Lounge, 27 Hartfield Rd, ☎ +44 20 8543 9788, [36]. Cocktail bar for chavs, run by chavs!edit
Sultan, 78 Norman Rd, ☎ +44 20 8542 4532. Decent local pub serving very good real ale. The only pub in London owned by the Hopback Brewery. Walled garden. Bar Food served. BBQ on sundays weather permitting. "No loud music/TV policy" for those who want a quiet pint.edit
SWnineteen Bar, 4-5 High St, ☎ +44 20 8879 7020. edit
The Prince of Wales, 2 Hartfield Rd, ☎ +44 20 8946 5369. Serves food, owned by Punch taverns.edit
The Slug, Hartfield Rd, ☎ +44 20 8947 1791, [37]. Sports orientated bar. Food served with seating outside.edit
The Terrace, Above Centre Court Shopping Centre, Queens Rd, ☎ +44 20 8944 9970, [38]. Terrace overlooking central Wimbledon. Serves food.edit
Walkabout, 74-78 The Broadway, ☎ +44 20 8543 8624, [39]. Food served in this sports bar.edit
Watershed, 267 Broadway, ☎ +44 20 8540 0080, [40]. Club with live music and comedy evenings on Saturdays.edit
White Hart, 144 Kingston Rd (Near the Merton Park tram stop). Thai Food Served. Seating outside. Parking.edit
The Wibbas Down Inn (JD Wetherspoon pub), 6-12 Gladstone Rd, ☎ +44 20 8540 6788. Food Served. Some seating outside - now nearly completely taken up by smokers.edit
Antoinette Hotel, The Broadway, ☎ +44 20 8543 4222, [41]. A 50 bedroom hotel, under new management and recently refurbished.edit
Cannizaro House, West Side, Wimbledon Common, ☎ +44 20 8879 1464 (fax: +44 20 8879 7338), [42]. A beautiful hotel overlooking Cannizaro Park to the rear and Wimbledon Common to the front. Excellent dining.edit
This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
![[5]](http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tramlink-network-map.jpg){kind=link}