The tennis lands in Wimbledon

Plus: We meet one of Wimbledon's local legends and ask him what's changed in 93 years

Jul 04, 2024

Good morning Wimblers — welcome back and thank you to those joining us for the first time. It’s election day and you can find your local polling station by clicking here. The strict rules around political journalism means that the BBC and other broadcasters aren’t allowed to do any meaningful reporting until 10pm tonight so we’re going to fill the vacuum by bringing you a fabulous mix of local news, interviews and recommendations in this edition.

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So Wimbledon is finally here. Queues are snaking from the station to the Quarter, tennis fans are wearing their best suits and summer dresses and hastily rifling through their tickets at the taxi rank, and shop fronts have been covered in AstroTurf and plastered with stickers. For the next ten days, Wimbledon is at its peak. Footfall is up 20%. Strawberry sellers are making a killing. Pints are being substituted for Pimm’s. All we need now is a bit of sun — unlikely on this soggy island of ours.

Please keep emailing me your photos, ideas and conversation starters: zak@thewimble.com. It’s been a pleasure these past few weeks to interact with you, to hear some of your stories, and to feature some of your ideas. Keep ‘em coming!

I think that’s all for now. Happy reading. Oh, and enjoy the tennis — if you haven’t got a ticket, join the queue.

Cover image credited to the Rose & Crown.

Snippets of the week 🗞

🩹 Andy Murray has pulled out of the singles draw — our man Muzza has played his final singles tournament at Wimbledon. The two-time Wimbledon champion failed to recover from his spinal cyst surgery before going head-to-head against Tomas Machac. As sad as it is, I think we can all agree that the Scot has cemented himself as one of Britain’s greats. But there’s a silver lining — Murray will be playing in the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu. Read the analysis about his withdrawal in The Times.
🍺 Wimbledon’s drink prices have been released — and they’re not pretty. Truly the cost of living crisis has reached SW19. Stella for £8.50. A Pimm’s for £11.95. A bottle of Lanson for £100.90. These prices are a substantial increase from last year, with beer costing nearly a pound more than in 2023. Read the full price list here.
⛽️ As well as sports fans, political activists are in town protesting Barclays’ sponsorship of the tennis over its ties to both fossil fuel businesses and companies supplying arms to Israel. I spoke to a few campaigners outside of the station who said that they hoped their concerns were being heard while admitting that it’s not an easy fight. Spoof ads against the bank have appeared in the town. See more in The Guardian.
🚗 Parking your car at Wimbledon could cost up to £2,300, according to a study by cinch. With local residents renting out their driveways as a means of income, favourable spots can cost visitors as much as £63 a day, meaning that parking your car for the whole tournament could set you back thousands.

The Wimble’s to do list 🎯

⭐️ How to Catch a Star — the Polka Theatre is back with an adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ beloved book of the same name. Follow the story of a little boy who loved the stars so much he set out trying to catch his own. The adaptation is brought to the Polka by Branar — one of Ireland’s leading children’s theatre companies — and is directed by Marc Mac Lochlainn. Puppetry, music and captivating storytelling are all at play in this production. Don’t miss out. Book here.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: 3rd July - 11th August
👁 Live music with Goldeneye — head down to The Hand & Racket to catch the musical duo Goldeneye. Expect some old school classics coming your way. I’m talking bands like Soft Cell, Gala Rizzatto, and Lionel Richie — an eclectic mix, one might say.
Where: the Hand & Racket
When: Saturday 6th July, 9:00pm-11:00pm
🍺 Beer masterclass — if, like me, you’re the curious sort, pop your head into the Hand in Hand next week and learn about the beer-making process. Spaces are limited, so make sure you book here. All proceeds will go to Wimbledon and Putney Common.
Where: the Hand in Hand
When: Wednesday 10th July, 7:00pm-8:30pm
🏝 Treasure Island — an indisputable classic from one of Scotland’s finest writers. This Sunday, Southside House are giving their space to Shadow Road for a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book. Expect mutiny, camaraderie and sword fighting (so my average night at Wetherspoons). Grab your tickets here.
Where: Southside House Garden
When: Sunday 7th July, 4:00pm-5:30pm

From WWII to Wimbledon’s windmill: A Q&A with Norman Plastow MBE — the man who has dedicated his life to the town he loves 🌹

Sitting in the house that Norman designed himself, the esteemed 93-year-old architect speaks about living in Wimbledon during The Blitz, lost concert halls and how his love for the town has evolved for him over the years.

Z: You were ten years old when the Second World War started. What was it like living in Wimbledon during that time?

N: I lived in my grandfather’s house. It was a fairly large house that he’d bought many years before with no central heating. The house was a short distance away from my school where my parents were familiar with the headmaster — I remember that the headmaster used our house to organise the evacuation. [Laughs] On the main evacuation day I stayed in bed all morning so as to not get in the way. The children had their gas masks and were taken by coach to the train station and sent away … they didn’t know where they were going. Apart from that, most of my memories of the war were in school.

Z: At King’s College School?

N: Yes, I was very fortunate in having an elder brother who was was 18 and about to join the services. The reason I went to KCS was because my brother wanted to join the Foyles Scientific Book Club; he was rather crafty and got me to join with him, splitting the price. But the books gave me a scientific education and helped with my scholarship to KCS. And then I spent the war years there. We had these shelters in all of the classrooms and we spent a lot of time there.

Z: Would you say that Wimbledon suffered badly from The Blitz?

N: Let me show you something.

Norman leaves the room and returns with a small cardboard box. In it are pieces of shrapnel.

N: As I went to school, I used to walk up the Broadway and catch the 200 bus. As you walked along, this is what you found on the pavement [he retrieves a piece of bombshell from the box]. That’s a shrapnel splinter.

Z: You found these yourself?

N: Oh yes! That’s a piece of a flying bomb. This one fell right before my feet. I tried picking it up but it was too hot, so I kicked it into the garden and waited for it to cool down.

Z: And you said that your brother served?

N: Yes, he was in the RAF. He started off stationed in Regents Park and then was sent off to train with the Canadian Air Force [laughs]. Then he went to Florida where he learnt to fly Catalina Flying Boats. And then it was off to Ireland, Cairo and India.

Z: And after you finished school, you trained to be an architect. Did you mainly work in London and Wimbledon?

N: No, I worked all over. After doing my six year degree, I joined Architects Co-Partnership. I mainly worked on schools at the beginning. I remember going on holiday with my family to Cornwall and staying in a place where I’d built a school the year before — they were celebrating their first anniversary whilst we were there!

Z: I have to ask you this as an architect: do you have a favourite piece of work?

N: [Looks up and takes a breath] It has to be Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. I’ve been there. I’ve been all over it.

He walks over to the shelves and picks out an incredibly large and beautiful book dedicated to Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater

Z: Lloyd Wright never designed in London, did he?

N: No, it’s a shame that it was entirely in the States. Talking about the States — and sorry to go off topic — but … this is another complication. Bear with me. In 1955 I was called upon to do my two years of National Service, after all of those years [laughs]. I was asked about the British Interplanetary Society and I thought it might help if I was a member. I ended up being given a fellowship. In the end, it led to me going to two Apollo launches and, well, I’ve been to 24 states in America.

He walks to his cabinet and picks up a cap with the American flag

Z: It looks brand new.

N: It does. I suppose in the end I spent more time in the States than in any other European city (excluding London). One thing I still find hard to believe is the time that I spent with my family in an underground nuclear launch chamber in the US. I was with my wife and two children: aged eight and ten. We were in the actual chamber as they launched it for a test in the Pacific. Just me, my family and two American officers with sidearms.

Z: And they didn’t mind you having access?

N: Not at all [he smiles].

Part of Norman’s home that he designed himself

Z: Crossing the Atlantic once more: what’s your favourite building in Wimbledon?

N: There are some flats over in Wimbledon Park that I rather like. There’s also Cannizaro House. I did a complete survey of that — I even made a model of it. Gosh, there are so many crazy things that happened with Cannizaro, especially with the council. There was a ceiling painting there by Angelica Kauffman — some of her paintings sell for £1.5 million — and the last time I saw it was rolled up and on the floor of a corridor in the town hall.

Z: And no one knows where it’s gone?

N: No one knows anything about it. In the end, the Wimbledon Society formed a company to safeguard the building before it was sold as a hotel.

Z: Is there something you wish you could have changed about Wimbledon?

N: So much has been frustrating. Very early on I became a member of the Wimbledon Society, eventually becoming president. If you look at the town hall building to the left there is an entrance, a wide corridor. That used to be the Civic Hall. It was used as a concert hall. It held 1600 people. [Sighs] They pulled it down. My memories of it were from quite a young age — from before the war — and schools used to send pupils there to teach them about classical music. It was pulled down in the 1980s when the leader of the council decreed it not be demolished until a contract was signed for a new one. They never built one.

Z: Is there anything else you miss about the old Wimbledon?

N: I miss the Manor Houses. All of that parkland on Arthur Road. The Manor Houses were amazing but they were pulled down at various times, including the last one where a new school was built. I think the school is gone too.

Z: After all of this time, is there anywhere else you would have liked to have lived other than Wimbledon?

N: Hmm. Not really. Nowhere specific. I had interests in various places but nowhere stands out particularly. [Pauses] No, I’d probably still choose Wimbledon.

Property of the week 🏡

I like spiral staircases a lot. Perhaps a little too much. You could show me a derelict heap and I’d still be tempted to buy it so long as the spiral staircase is intact. This is most certainly not a derelict heap, but at £695,000, it’s a little out of my price range. Still, a man can dream. Check out more on Rightmove.

Shine Photography Exhibition: Life through the eyes of Wimbledon’s children 📸

On the second floor of Elys, just behind the beds and mattresses section, sits an unassuming yet profound little exhibition of children’s photography.

Some of the photographs at the exhibition

I loved using my mother’s camera when I was a child. Every holiday I’d insist on being the designated photographer, capturing everything on a disposable Kodak. Whenever I look at family photos I feel a sense of nostalgia, not just for the memories but for the way my younger self saw the world. Walking into Shine Camera Club’s exhibition brought back a similar sense of nostalgia.

Shine Camera Club teaches children basic photography skills using analog cameras. The idea is that the children are given an opportunity to capture the world around them — how they see it. Cindy Sasha, a local visual artist, collaborated on the project with Kristina Burton from Mitcham Town Community Trust to make this project work. The images are a collection of portraits, tableaus and landscapes, each one capturing a different moment. The photos are curated by Juanita Richards and are on display until 14th July. Read more about it here.

Word Salad 🥬

This week’s Word Salad is “Wimbledon Men’s Winners”. Click here to play. If you like playing Word Salads then download the app on iOS or Android.

Question time with The Wimble 🔍

Last week I asked which famous German philosopher lived in Eagle House. The answer: Arthur Schopenhauer.

Q: Why do the houses from Ridgway and the adjacent roads slope down towards Worple Road? This question and answer is courtesy of Norman Plastow who knows more about Wimbledon than any online archive.

You’re up to date 👋

Thanks for reading this week! If you enjoyed this edition, please share, subscribe, and send to your friends. And please, please, please (for fear of starting a Smith’s chorus) keep sending in your photos, your ideas, your stories and your conversation starters. Email: zak@thewimble.com. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to feature everything but I will try my very best. Our comments section is open, so please leave your thoughts, ideas and recommendations there too!