How to make the most of Wimbledon's festive season
Plus: A rundown of the very best events in Wimbledon this week
Hello, Wimblers — good morning to you all! We are well and truly on our way to Christmas. This week’s newsletter is all about festivities. We’ve got a Christmas pop-up, a Polka Theatre adaptation of The Nutcracker, a wintry night of storytelling at Southside House and a lovely little interview with local author Jane Brereton about her Christmas-themed children’s book.
Last week’s edition asking restaurant workers for their local recommendations garnered some great interaction, so thank you for that. Please keep sharing and hit subscribe if you haven’t already. We’re closing in on 4,000 subscribers (we’re just 400 subscribers short) and we’d love to get over the line by the end of the month.
Scroll down for your usual news snippets, an undeniably gorgeous property of the week and a little callout in regards to e-bikes in Wimbledon.
Please do get in touch if you have any ideas for future stories, suggestions, feedback, local gossip, anything and everything — we love hearing from you! I’m zak@thewimble.com. Some of our best interviews — like “At Home With Fiona Wyse” — have come from our readers reaching out.
In the meantime, happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🎬 The famous Wimbledon Studios are up for sale. The studios on Deer Park Road have been used to film The Iron Lady, Bohemian Rhapsody, and TV shows such as The Bill, Patrick Melrose and Episodes with Matt LeBlanc. Read all about its history and why it’s up for sale in The Standard.
⛸ Very excitingly, Wimbledon Quarter’s ice rink opens this Saturday. The rink is double the size of last year’s and will be surrounded by food and drinks stalls. It’s in partnership with St George’s Hospital to raise funds for their ‘Time for Change’ children’s appeal. Grab your tickets here and I’ll see you on the ice!
🚄 Engineering works have caused further disruption to the late night Thameslink service through Wimbledon this week. The planned closure saw no Thameslink trains running through Wimbledon after 23:30 from Monday to today. Service is expected to return to normal as of Friday. Here’s what National Rail have said about the situation.
🎾 Andy Murray will return to Wimbledon next year — but there’s a twist. The former No.1 is set to tour his new show ‘Centre Stage’ across a variety of UK theatres, finishing in Wimbledon on the eve of next year’s Championships. Read what he had to say about retirement and returning to SW19 here.
Property of the week 🏡
This might be, dare I say it, the nicest house we’ve ever featured. This five-bedroom one of a kind fully detached house is a sight to behold. Where do I even begin? There’s an 80-foot garden, a log burner (at least that’s what I think it is), an upstairs “secret” library and a roof terrace. The house is listed at £2,500,000, which, I hate to admit it, might genuinely be a fair price. Check out more photos on Rightmove.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
💎 Wimbledon Christmas Pop-up Shop — the festive pop-up is back this year at Life Kitchens. The pop-up will showcase local brands selling ceramics, accessories, Wimbledon prints, jewellery, Christmas cards, holiday decorations and much more. There will even be workshops on candle and wreath-making. Don’t miss the launch party this Friday — there will be drinks, food and gifts for “everyone on your Christmas list”. RSVP for the party here.
Where: Life Kitchens, SW19 5DX
When: From Saturday 16th November, Monday-Sunday, 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM (closes 5:00 PM on Sunday)
🔔 The Nutcracker at the Polka Theatre — join Olivier award-winning Little Bulb and Polka Theatre for this magical-quest inspired retelling of the classic ballet. The Polka have promised “surprising rodent singalongs and … a sleigh-load of familiar festive bangers that’ll have you dancing in your seat.” It’s a brand-new show, so information may change. Visit their website to keep up to date and buy tickets.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: Saturday 16th November - Sunday 26th January
🎶 Wimbledon International Music Festival — the festival, which started on the 2nd of November, is in full swing. With events from “informal music making” to a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, this festival is not one to be missed. Book your tickets here.
Where: Various locations
When: Saturday 2nd November - Sunday 24th November
👻 Storytelling Evenings at Southside House: Ghost Stories by Candlelight — Halloween might be over, but that doesn’t mean the ghosts have gone away. Head over to Southside House this Friday for a night of spooky tales and strange happenings in one of Wimbledon’s most unique buildings. Pricing is flexible — click here for a ticket.
Where: Southside House, 3-4 Woodhayes Road
When: Friday 15th November, 6:00 PM
🤔 Pub Quiz at the Rose and Crown — time to put on your thinking caps! Pop along to the Rose and Crown next Tuesday to take part in quiz master Duncan’s fantastic quiz. Bring your cleverest friends. Bring your A game. Bring good vibes.
Where: Rose and Crown, Wimbledon Village
When: Tuesday 19th November, 7:30 PM - 10:45 PM
Photo of the week 📸
This photo of the week is a little different. Just a few days ago, I was sent this picture by local resident Sally Gibbons. Beneath it, she wrote: “Here on Edge Hill (in common with most other local roads) we have a serious problem with e-bikes parked (dumped) all over the pavement. After a lot of hassle we've managed to get Merton Council to set aside two parking bays for ‘Bike Hire Only’.” But as this photo shows, it seems riders are taking no notice of the cycle bays.
Is it surprising that e-bike riders are taking no notice of the designated bays? It’s certainly true that e-bikes are often left in the middle of the street, toppled over or carelessly parked in inconvenient spots. Are riders just being careless, or are they doing this on purpose?
I’d really like to hear your thoughts. If you’re a local resident who has experienced issues with e-bikes, please get in touch. Equally, if you’re an avid rider and you’d like to defend electric bikes in Wimbledon, drop me an email:
And thank you to Sally for sending the photo and drawing our attention to the issue.
What makes a good children’s story? ⭐️
I’m a great admirer of children’s fiction. When I was a child, I had my favourites: The Snail and the Whale, The Gruffalo, Love You Forever, Slinky Malinki, This Morning I Met a Whale. I could go on, but you get the point. But what does it take to be a children’s author? This week I sat down with local resident Jane Brereton to talk about her debut children’s book The Invisible Christmas Tree: a story about a little girl and a misshapen tree who is always left out of Christmas festivities due to its shape. Jane and I spoke about how a lockdown stroll became her inspiration to pick up the pen and get writing, her life in Wimbledon, and what it takes to write a children’s book.
NOTE: JANE IS GIVING AWAY TWO FREE COPIES FOR THE BEST CHRISTMAS JOKE. SEND ME AN EMAIL OR COMMENT BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN: zak@thewimble.com.
Z: Right, let’s start with a bit of history. Talk to me about your connection to Wimbledon.
J: I moved to London about 26 years ago. I lived in central London before, but then a friend of mine moved out of her flat in the Rayne’s Park area and so I took the place. That was about 16 years ago. About 12 or 13 years ago I got my own place in Wimbledon — my house is my pride and joy. Moving from Liverpool Street to Wimbledon made me realise how much I’d missed green spaces: people walking their dogs or rollerblading. It was like seeing that there was life in London again.
This is the first book you’ve written. What has been your career outside of writing?
I’m a PA at the end of the day. I had my own business — I did balloon decorations for parties, which then moved into party planning. And it was before anybody else did balloons at weddings and things like that. I was one of the first people to do that sort of thing. I did that until I was 24 and then I decided I needed a salary. People had started undercutting me by doing the same work from their living rooms and at that point it stopped being a viable business. When I moved to London, the recruiting agency asked me to write down what I did and I wanted to be a PA … so I wrote down secretary [laughs]. And the next day they just popped me in a job! I’ve been doing secretarial work since I moved here and that’s done me just fine.
What inspired you to write the book?
Well, it was back in the March lockdowns of early Covid, and I was walking around Wimbledon and I was struck by the sheer amount of discarded Christmas trees lying around outside of the houses. That was what sparked the premise, really. You go to such lengths to buy these trees, you make such an event out of it, you spend the whole time loving it and then the moment it gets to New Years Day, you throw it away. I just felt sorry for them [the trees]. So I thought about the idea for a while and decided to start writing — see if this thought had legs and if I could make a story out of it.
Have you got a favourite children’s book?
I’m a fan of Julia Donaldson. That’s my style. The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. They’re very gentle, they’re very calm. And the fact that they rhyme a bit is something I like. The Faraway Tree series and Narnia is what I grew up with. The other morning I woke up and there was a lion and a witch in my wardrobe and I asked '“what are you doing here?” and they said “Narnia business”.
Oh my … oh no … that’s a real “Dad Joke”.
[Laughs]
And finally, to keep it on a Christmas theme, where do you go / what recommendations do you have for Wimblers during the festive period?
Well, I tend to leave London for Christmas itself, but I do really like Wimbledon Village during the festive period. I used to really like Hemingways but now I prefer Maison St. Cassien in the Village. I like to find a table by the window, put on a big scarf and watch the world go by over lunch. If it’s not there, then it’s outside at the Hand in Hand. But for a Sunday roast, it has to be the Fox & Grapes. That’s the best Sunday roast in the area. The pork is incredible.
Jane’s book, The Invisible Christmas Tree, is available to buy on Amazon or directly from her publisher’s website.
SEND YOUR CHRISTMAS JOKE TO zak@thewimble.com FOR YOU CHANCE TO WIN A FREE COPY.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked how many bombs fell on the grounds of the All England Club on October 11th, 1940. The answer: One (it struck a corner of the competitor’s stands, costing them 1,200 seats. Repairs took place in 1947).
Q: Which famous screenwriter and playwright — credited as the creator and showrunner of Netflix’s The Crown — was born in Wimbledon?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week. I hope everyone enjoyed the newsletter. Drop me a line if you have any feedback, ideas, stories or questions. Also get in touch if you have something to say about e-bikes in Wimbledon or just leave a comment below: zak@thewimble.com. I think that’s everything for today. See you next week!
Really love these emails! Great to be kept up to date with Wimbledon goings on
Christmas Joke (from my 10 year old):-
What do you call a reindeer with no eyes?
What?
No idea 😂🫣😂