How the tennis transforms Wimbledon
We speak to the man helping prepare our streets for the championships. Plus: Our local news roundup, recommendations for the coming week and a new quiz
Hello again Wimblers — to our regular readers, welcome back! For those who have just joined, it’s great to have you here! After a weekend of weather as capricious as the shaky stock market, there appears to be a through line of sun. And just in time, too.
Things are heating up in anticipation of the tennis: shops in the Village are already competing for the Tennis Window Competition, tourists are beginning to arrive, and there’s a balmy atmosphere about the town.
Some exciting news: we’ve teamed up with Bleppo Games, creators of Word Salad, to bring you a brand-new Wimbledon themed puzzle. A link further down will take you to the game, but you can also play other non-Wimbledon related puzzles by downloading the Bleppo Games app for Android or IOS.
This week expect recommendations, a review of Cannizaro House Hotel’s new art exhibition A Celebration of Trees and a Q&A with Craig Hurring of Love Wimbledon who is at the forefront of getting the town ready for the Championships. Thank you to those who sent photos in for our photo of the week section — the winning image will be featured below. Please send us more pictures for next week.
Snippets of the week 🗞
🌳 An update on Wimbledon Park — Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) have urged the Greater London Authority to refuse the All England Club’s (AELTC) application to expand into the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course. The AELTC says its plans will benefit local people by creating new park space. SWP disagrees, arguing that it will damage public safety. It’s not our job here at The Wimble to pick sides in debates like this, but we’ll try our best to keep you informed on how things develop.
🎾 Wimbledon’s popularity soars — thanks to Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, Challengers, top-flight tennis has seen a ‘Zendaya bounce’, according to Anne Keothavong, captain of Britain’s team in the Billie Jean King Cup. Read more about it in The Times.
💵 The infamous ‘Wimbledon Queue’ pushes forward with its commercialisation — the queue that became the subject matter of Ben Chatfield’s book, Standing in Line, will now feature an “activation zone”. Stalls run by brands such as Barclays and Vodafone with be present. Food trucks will also feature in the “zone”, though strawberries and cream will only be available once inside the grounds. Check out The Telegraph’s coverage.
⚽️ And finally, if tennis isn’t your thing, AFC Wimbledon had quite the week — firstly, they announced a new TV deal with Sky Sports, meaning that you will no longer be able to watch their games on iFollow. They’ve also signed John-Joe O’Toole and Callum Maycock for the season ahead.
Property of the week 🏡
This maisonette is one of those homes you see on Location, Location, Location and shout at the television, “That’s a bit of me! That’s a bit of me! Sandra, get in here! This is a bit of us!” Check out the rest of the photos on Rightmove if you fancy a scroll.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
🎭 Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts — the Polka Theatre is back with another family-friendly new show. This time join Sam, who is NOT a coward, on a mission to prove to everyone that he is a fearless space adventurer. Grab your tickets here.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: 22nd June — 18th August
🍸 Meet the producers — Friarwood Wines are hosting another meet the producer event this Saturday, this time for the gin lovers. Bloody Bens are bringing their orange and honey gin for you to taste. Don’t let the taste fool you — this stuff is potent. More about Bloody Bens here.
Where: Friarwood Fine Wines, Wimbledon Village
When: Saturday 22nd June, 1:00pm-5:30pm
🎻 Two’s Company: Pascal Rogé and Elena Font — Pascal Rogé is a legendary French pianist. From Debussy to Brahms, he’s been gracing the world with his elegant playing style since his first appearance in 1960. Elena Font is a also specialist when it comes to French music and will be playing alongside him. Don’t miss out. Grab your tickets here.
Where: King’s Concert Hall, King’s College Wimbledon
When: Monday 24th June, 7:30pm
🏳️🌈 Creative writing workshop — this workshop is aimed at local queer communities to develop their writing skills for stage and screen. The workshops are led by Scott Hurran — a director and writer with credits in film, radio and theatre — and are open to anyone aged 16+. More info here.
Where: Wimbledon Library
When: Tuesday 25th June, 7:00pm
Q&A: Getting Wimbledon ready for the tennis with Love Wimbledon 🎾
I sat down with Craig Hurring, CEO of Love Wimbledon, to chat about the tennis, business, and what makes Wimbledon so special
Z: What is Love Wimbledon’s role in the town?
C: Love Wimbledon is the business improvement district of Wimbledon’s town centre. We’re funded by businesses and we provide services to businesses with that funding. So we create places, spaces and experiences, we provide businesses with services, and we focus on making the town greener and more sustainable.
Z: Talk to me about the preparations for the tennis.
C: So the first thing people notice is the large screen that we put up each year for Wimbledon in the Piazza. This year we’re going to also dress the Piazza for the entire summer as a celebration of sport, including a small athletics track and a podium, given Merton is the Borough of Sport, and we’re actually going to bring the screen back for the Paris Olympics too.
But before that there’s a lot of preparation. We’re focused on making the town centre as impressive as possible for our visitors. We see a 20% increase in footfall during the tennis and that’s great for business, so in preparation for that we have an extensive programme of activity. We work with AELTC on extra greening and lamppost banners throughout the town centre, we also do three days of deep cleaning, including jet washing, pavement cleaning, graffiti removal and gum removal. We also provide business training with the Met Police on security preparations, especially for hospitality and retail businesses. Today we have held two sessions at the New Wimbledon Theatre where we’re talking to businesses about how they can stay vigilant about safety, given the huge amount of crowds we will all experience.
Z: Talking about crowds and business, how do you think Wimbledon has recovered post-pandemic?
C: Recovery has been hugely encouraging. The footfall in the town is now higher than it was before the pandemic, as is expenditure. There are very few comparable towns in the UK that are currently able to claim this. This footfall is what keeps the town centre thriving, but we are far from complacent. Yes, I think we would all like to see more retailers in the town and we are using this positive information to communicate this to landowners, who ultimately make these decisions, and we will be holding the Evolving Wimbledon conference later this year to further make this case.
Z: What makes Wimbledon so special?
C: I think it’s that we’re uniquely positioned because of our incredible connections. It’s the only train, tram, tube, bus interface in London — so it offers easy access to Central London but retains that village feel. It has all of these wonderful green spaces,, a thriving town centre, a beautiful village, it has a nightlife, it has culture, heritage, great housing and education. There’s a lot here and there’s a lot to celebrate. And when you see future developments, like the boutique hotel Gather planned for Worple Road, and the Aparthotel planned for the Bank Buildings, you can see an emerging narrative that Wimbledon is becoming a destination in our own right, not just for the Championships, in a way that we haven’t seen before, and that’s really exciting.
A Celebration of Trees reviewed 🎨
This week I took an idyllic (if sneezy) stroll to Cannizaro House Hotel through Wimbledon Common to see A Celebration of Trees. The free exhibition features paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and 3D work by 28 artists, and invites you to reflect on the serenity of nature and to take a moment to appreciate the natural world.
Cannizaro House is a beautiful building. The 19th century mansion has all the markers of a grand and affluent English home: the ornate atrium, the grand old staircase and the still working fireplace give the building a antique quality. The house overlooks the west side of Wimbledon Common but also has its own gardens, and one would be forgiven for thinking they were somewhere far from London, far from the chaos and jostling of the metropolis.
As I entered the exhibition, I was handed a booklet that mapped out the atrium with each painting and the artists’ names. The first that really struck me was Cannizaro Park Avery by Inga Knysh, all gloomy colours, muted tones and a skeletal branch that curls along the top of the paining — reminding me of the imagery found in the Graveyard Poets’ proto-gothic poems. Keep an eye out for her other painting, Rain in Cannizaro Park, which is a little smaller and easier to miss.
One of the final paintings on display is Marika Rosenius’s Handle With Care 2. There’s a haunting quality to her work; the trees, created using acrylic and sawmarks, blend with the wood panel to create a ghostly landscape.
A Celebration of Trees is worth braving any shower of pollen. Get down there before it finishes on the 27th of June.
Photo of the week 📸
Word Salad 🥗
Click here to play! How it works: find five Wimbledon-based restaurants and bars. The length of the words you’re looking for are at the bottom in alphabetical order. You can make words diagonally and in any direction.
Question time with The Wimble 🔍
Last week we asked which famous poet, author of Over the Brazier, lived in Wimbledon. The answer: Robert Graves.
Q: What does the Latin inscription — “Sine Labe Decus” — on the coat of arms above Tesco in the town centre mean? As ever, no cheating. The answer will be in next week’s edition.
You’re up to date 👋
That’s all for now. Thank you to those who have subscribed. Please share this to you friends, family, colleagues. Show your dog. Get your cat to subscribe. Tell your postman about it. Send us your photos for next week’s photo of the week. As ever, scoops, recommendations, and conversations are all welcome: zak@thewimble.com. Have a great rest of the week!