Fancy nosing around someone else's house and garden? Now's your chance
Plus: A shorter newsletter as we gear up for our summer print edition
Good morning Wimblers — welcome to this week’s edition.
First things first, we’ve got an exclusive offer for our Wimble readers. Wimbledon Quarter’s Rooftop Farm is hosting an evening at The Fire Station Café celebrating the flavours of their urban farm. There will be a talk from resident beekeeper Barnaby Shaw, followed by a tasting session featuring dishes from Vanessa Marx (head chef at The Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond), Lula’s Patties, and The Fire Station Café’s very own sweet treats made with the farm’s honey. Grab your Wimble early bird tickets here before they go on sale tomorrow.
We’re running a slightly shorter newsletter this week as we gear up for our summer print edition. We’ve still got your usual news snippets and some fantastic recommendations for the week ahead. We’ll be back next Thursday with a full-length edition. Do get in touch via email if you have any events or stories you’d like to feature in the coming weeks: zak@thewimble.com.
I think that’s all for now. Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🍻 Plans to demolish The Trafalgar pub — supposedly Wimbledon’s oldest freehouse — have been blocked by Merton Council. The application, submitted by Adenbuild Construction Limited, sought to replace the South Wimbledon pub with a four-storey building containing residential flats and a smaller bar space downstairs. Merton Council found that the proposal would cause substantial harm “arising from loss of the public house, and its associated heritage, cultural, economic and social value.” Read more about the council’s decision here.
⚽️ AFC Wimbledon are through to the play-off final. Having defeated Notts County 2-0 on aggregate, Wimbledon will face Walsall at Wembley on Monday 26 May for a promotion to League One. Wimbledon have been in League Two ever since their relegation at the end of the 2021-22 season, but the team have gone from strength to strength since manager Johnnie Jackson took over. Monday is a huge day for the team, the community and the legacy of the club. Head to The Alexandra to catch the game. Up the Dons!
🗳 Councillor Martin Whelton has been nominated to be Mayor of Merton for the coming year and has said that he intends to dedicate his upcoming year in office to bringing communities together. Whelton previously served as mayor in 2008/9, making him the youngest mayor in Merton’s history — a record he still holds. His three chosen charities for his campaign are the Wimbledon Guild, Merton and Morden Guild and the Commonside Community Development Trust. Read more about Whelton’s aims in this press release.
🪴 The owners of a local residential home are opening their doors to the public for the National Garden Scheme next Monday. Martin and Primavera Moretti will be welcoming visitors to their sumptuous garden at 35 Burstow Road, SW20 8ST on Monday 26 May, in order to raise money for charity. There will be a plant stall, tea and cake. Tickets are £4 for adults; children go for free. Check out more details here.
🎭 Award-winning actor/playwright (and Wimbledon resident) Sudha Bhuchar is bringing her show Evening Conversations back after a critically praised run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024. We’ve featured Sudha in The Wimble before, but many of you will already know her from the BBC 1 detective series Virdee, Amazon Prime’s Expats, and her numerous plays and screenplays. Others might remember her as originating the role of Usha Gupta in The Archers. The show will run on Saturday 24 May at 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets can be bought here.
🌳 Save the date! Saturday 28 June is the Friends of Cannizaro Park’s Pond Activity Day. There will be free activities for the whole family to enjoy, including talks from experts, water experiments and conversations about the pond’s upcoming natural flood management project. The main aim for the day is to enhance your knowledge of the pond, its surroundings and all its inhabitants.
Property of the week 🏡
This is probably one of the nicest houses we’ve featured in a while. The conservatory is what really ‘makes’ this house for me. With four reception rooms, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage and a rather large garden, this house is anything but poky. But regular readers of our Property of the Week section will know what comes next… the hefty price tag. This particular property will set you back £3m. Check out the floorplan on Rightmove. Here’s a fun idea that will most likely make me cry: if any of our readers bought a property in Wimbledon before 2000, comment the price you paid below.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎁
🍸 Lillet Garden Party at the Dog & Fox: Kick off the bank holiday with a good old-fashioned garden party. There will be booze, sunshine (ok, we can’t promise this), and a DJ for you to dance the night away with. The party itself is free but the booze isn’t, unfortunately.
Where: Dog & Fox
When: Saturday 24 May, 12:00 PM - 11:00 PM
🖌 Aubergine Art’s Spring Exhibition: “In the depths of winter it feels like spring will never come, yet just as one begins to doubt the truth of the seasons the welcome green shoots of daffodils start to pierce through and the crocuses are alight upon the grass”. This spring show includes work by some of Aubergine’s most popular artists as well as some new talents. The exhibition is completely free, so get yourself down there.
Where: Aubergine Art Gallery, Queen’s Road, Wimbledon
When: Monday 14 April - Friday 4 July
🖼 Mighty Makers Superhero Holiday Camp: Let your children enjoy three action-packed days of superhero-themed games, arts and crafts, and ‘heroic’ fun. This holiday camp is suitable for children ages 4-9 and costs £60 per day. Book your spot here.
🍷 Bordeaux vs Burgundy Wine Tasting at Jeroboams: The vast majority of wine drinkers don’t know the difference between Bordeaux and Burgundy, and that’s totally fine! But if you’d like to know why the liquid in your glass tastes so ridiculously good, then get yourself along to this tasting where you’ll try three wines from both regions — and see which ‘has the edge’. Tickets cost £45 per person and can be booked here.
Where: Jeroboams, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 30 May, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
🌮 Love Wimbledon Local Market on The Piazza: Think artisan stalls, hot food, and baked goods, plus homeware, art, clothing and accessories. Each market is different and brings with it new traders and seasonal goods. Pop along and have a gander.
Where: The Piazza, Wimbledon
When: Saturday 31 May - Sunday 1 June
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I named five authors and asked which was born in Wimbledon. The answer: Mavis Cheek.
Which of these celebrities did not perform at the New Wimbledon Theatre?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. We’ll be back next week with your usual length newsletter. In the meantime, do get in touch with ideas for potential features. And if anyone has any insight about queueing for the tennis at Wimbledon, do let me know: zak@thewimble.com.
Re house prices - we bought our house in Merton Park in 1988 and paid £111,000. Houses in our street sell for around £1.1 or £1.2 million now!