The Wimbledon club that's been dancing for 100 years
Plus: A new half-marathon is coming to the borough
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that everyone is well.
This week we’ve got something a little different for you. Last Friday, I popped down to Victory Road in South Wimbledon to dance with the Greensleeves Morris Men. This year marks their 100-year anniversary, and so it seemed fitting to check them out and see what’s kept them going this long. Scroll down to read all about their colourful history and to watch a few clips of me learning the dances.
We’ve also got your usual news snippets, some great recommendations for the weeks ahead and another wonderful property of the week.
CALL OUT FOR READERS: We’re looking to interview some local heroes with great stories. We’re not stuck on any theme yet, so do get in touch if you or someone else might be right for a story in The Wimble: zak@thewimble.com.
Other than that, happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🏃♀️ A major new half-marathon is set to launch in our borough! The new closed-road event is set to come to Merton thanks to a collaboration between Merton Council and the Great Run Company, and will launch in the spring of 2027. Thousands of runners will take on the 13.1-mile route, which will take them through Morden, Wimbledon and Mitcham. Runners of all ages and abilities are welcome, from those who are starting their running journeys to experienced athletes. Read more here.
👨🏫 Teaching assistants and school support staff in Merton are to be balloted for strike action over long-standing pay discrepancies. The staff receive London Weighting at the Outer London rate, however, their teacher colleagues in the same schools receive the higher Inner London rate, which works out at a difference of £1,400 per year per employee. The GMB’s members’ ballot will open on Friday 27 February, with any action to take place in the run-up to the upcoming local elections in May. Click here to learn more.
💝 Wimbledon Quarter’s Valentine’s Day hamper competition will close at 11.59pm tonight, so enter now whilst you can! One lucky winner will win a luxurious hamper filled with luxurious treats, romantic date-night (or mate-date!) experiences and exclusive gifts all from inside Wimbledon Quarter – with a total value of over £1,500. Included in the prize: The M&S Collection Hamper & selection of Valentine’s treats from M&S Simply Food, The Duchess Valentine’s bouquet from Blooms Wimbledon, a £100 voucher for 601 Queens Road, 2x 10-Day Experience Passes at STRONG Pilates, 50x Free Coffee Vouchers from Urban Baristas and much, much more. Click here to find out how to enter.
🍷 Local gem Artisans Depot have launched their new wine club. Sign up to receive a case of six different wines to your door on a regular basis with a 15% discount off normal prices. They have three options: monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. To join the club, email artisansdepotwimbledon@gmail.com.
This week’s Wimble sponsor ⛳️
Caddi Club is back with a new deal for the Six Nations! A burger and a pint is just £17 on any given match day. Of course, if rugby isn’t your thing, you can still pop in for a spot of golf, a bite to eat and something to drink. Just click the button below to learn more and to book your table or golf bay.
Property of the week 🏡
This three-bedroom Victorian terraced house is a fine example of what Wimbledon has to offer. Located within the Poets, it’s perfect for those wanting a bit more space while remaining close to central London. I’m a big fan of that Juliet balcony too. But how much? This home will set you back £799,950. Check out more photos here.
The Wimble’s to-do list
🎻 Bring Up the Music Love: This Valentine’s concert explores love in all its forms — and in all genres of music. Ten exceptional performers will perform pieces in genres as diverse as classical, jazz, country, folk, rock and pop. Tickets are £25 and can be bought here.
Where: St John the Baptist
When: Thursday 12 February, 7–9pm
🥃 Valentine’s Day Whisky and Wine Tasting: Amathus in Wimbledon Village will be hosting various free wine and whisky tastings this Valentine’s Day weekend. There will be the award-winning whisky bottler the Heart Cut, natural wine tastings and even some sweet wine tastings. Click here to check out timings and events.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 13 – Saturday 15 February
💪 The Little Gym Valentine’s Day Special Sessions: Join The Little Gym this Valentine’s for two themed sessions for babies and toddlers. Expect fun activities, movement sessions, refreshments and more. “Toddler’s Valentine’s” is from 10–11am and “My Berry First Valentine’s” is from 11.15am–12.15pm. Tickets are £25 per child and can be booked here.
Where: The Little Gym, Wimbledon Quarter
When: Friday 13 February
🥳 February half-term “Love Camp” with Planet Art: Sign your kids up for these four heart-filled days of arts and crafts where creativity, kindness, and colour take centre stage. Your kids will dive into the world of hearts, happy vibes, and imaginative fun. This half-term camp is suitable for children aged 4–9. Each day costs £65. Sign up here.
Where: The Garden Hall, St Mary’s Church
When: Monday 16 – Thursday 19 February, 9.30am–3.30pm
🐴 Holistic horse care: This is your chance to spend a calm 75 minutes connecting with horses in a safe and relaxed environment. The session begins with an introduction to horse behaviour, including flight instincts, body language, and how horses perceive their surroundings. Then you will move on to hands-on time with the horses, guided by experienced instructors, where you’ll learn the basics of safe handling and grooming, observe how horses respond to calm, consistent communication, and discover techniques that promote horse well-being. Note that there is no riding involved. Tickets are £40 for non-members. Book here.
Where: Wimbledon Village Stables
When: Saturday 21 February, 1.45–3pm
🏴 Dear England at the New Wimbledon Theatre: Dear England tells the uplifting, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring story of Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as England manager. After winning an Olivier Award for its run at the National Theatre, the show comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre at the end of February for a limited time. Grab your tickets here.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 February
My evening with Wimbledon’s Morris Men ⚔️
Greensleeves Morris Men was formed in 1926 in central London, though their first performance was actually in Wimbledon. In 1980, they permanently relocated to SW19. The troupe has danced all across the country and beyond, going as far as Northern Europe and even Canada. Many of our readers have probably seen the Greensleeves in action on The Piazza or around the local pubs with their piano accordion, pipe and tabor, handkerchiefs and sticks. A few weeks ago, the Greensleeves’ squire, Neil Barrett, got in touch to talk about their centenary celebrations. Over coffee, we decided that it might be fun if I were to pop my head in one Friday evening for a little dance practice. So last week, that’s exactly what I did. And let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than it looks.
It’s a Friday night at the end of a very long, very wet week in London. I’m on my way to South Wimbledon Community Association Hall to meet with some morris dancers — not a sentence I’m used to writing.
The Greensleeves are already getting started when I enter the rehearsal room. Neil, my contact in the troupe, greets me immediately with a warm smile. The rest of the group follow suit. In honour of the dancing side’s name, I’ve decided to wear a green roll neck, though Neil assures me that it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing so long as I’m comfortable. “Shall we start with a warm-up dance?” asks Neil.
We launch into a rhythmic routine that involves timed clapping and slapping of various limbs. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I was already out of breath by the time the warm-up ended. (This might be a sign that I need to reinstate my gym membership.) What strikes me immediately is the camaraderie of the group. There’s light-hearted banter from the get-go, but also an overwhelming sense of support. It was clear that every person in the room wanted me to enjoy my time as much as possible.
The first dance I learn is called Balance the Straw. We start with the sticks. For those of you unfamiliar with traditional morris dancing, sticks and handkerchiefs are predominantly used in a form known as Cotswold Morris. The Greensleeves in Wimbledon mostly dance in this style, though they also dance another form known as Longsword, from North East England. But we’ll get onto the swords later.
The Greensleeves show me a polished performance of the dance first before taking me through the movements step by step. It starts simply enough with the chorus: I take a stick, bang it on the ground twice, clash twice (hit my stick against another dancer’s), bang it on the ground twice again, and then clash three times. A member of the group plays the melody to Balance the Straw on a pipe, which keeps us in time — though he kindly plays it slower than usual for my benefit. Neil tells me not to worry about the footwork for today: “If you can get the movements and the clashing right, then you’re already doing a great job.” There are more moves to the dance, but I’ll let the video below explain the rest.
After we finish and I’ve understood the moves, I get a few minutes to catch my breath before we’re back in with a rendition of Blue Eyed Stranger, only this time using handkerchiefs. This is probably a personal thing, but I find them far harder to use than the sticks. The moves to the dance are exactly the same, but something about handkerchiefs throws me, and my timing is a little off. But the Greensleeves are patient and encouraging, and after a while I get there — though I think I’ll have to come back for a few more practices before I share a video of that routine.
I take a seat. I might have worked up a sweat, but I’m having too much fun to care. The dancers then get ready to practise the Longsword form. Six beautiful swords are removed from a bundle and given to the dancers. Neil tells me that they contacted an armourer in Whitstable to make the swords — like something from the days of yore. I sit this routine out; I don’t fancy mistakenly impaling myself or, worse, anyone else on a random Friday evening in South Wimbledon.
Morris dancing has been around for at least 500 years — the earliest records of the tradition date back to the mid-15th century — but most people only know it for bells, handkerchiefs and brightly coloured costumes. People don’t tend to think of swords when they think of morris. But they should. The Longsword routine is incredibly intricate: towards the end of the dance, each morris man holds the hilt of his sword and the tip of his neighbour’s sword and weaves over and under until the blades form what is known as a “lock” (see image below). After the routine is finished, one of the dancers jokes, “It’s all done with magnets.” I can assure you, it is not.
By this point, I’m really getting into it: as unorthodox as it may be, it’s one of the best Friday nights I’ve had in months. Before the practice finishes, the Greensleeves decide to teach me one last dance called Vandals of Hammerwich. It’s the hardest dance of the evening, as it involves multiple movements and the swapping of positions. But I’ve got good teachers, and by 10pm — which is when a practice session usually ends — I’ve managed to do a full run-through without making a complete fool of myself. When the practice is over, the Greensleeves invite me to the pub. This is part of their Friday tradition, and I’m more than happy to oblige. We make the short pilgrimage to The Sultan, one of Wimbledon’s finest pubs (and a CAMRA winner, for the beer lovers among us). The Greensleeves have a rule: if you come to practice and learn a dance, they’ll buy you a pint. I’ve learnt three. We sit around a table, and I listen as the group shares stories about their dancing over the years: the journeys, the friends made, quaint small villages in the far reaches of England, the history, the tradition and the importance of the folk revival scene in the late 1960s and early 70s.
“You’re welcome any time, Zak,” says Neil. “If you just want to pop in on another Friday for a dance, please do. That’s what we say to anyone who wants to join in: there’s no pressure, we’re free, and we’re open to everyone.”
I take my time enjoying the three pints of bitter at The Sultan: my aching legs tell me I’ve earned them. And I’d urge anyone who wants to meet some friendly faces, hear some wonderful stories and have a dance to get in touch with the Greensleeves and pop down to South Wimbledon one Friday to check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
2026 marks the Greensleeves’ 100-year anniversary. They practise most Friday evenings from September to April and then spend the summer months travelling around different areas in south London to showcase their routines. If you want to learn more about the troupe or to see their upcoming events, head to their website here.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I presented you with a list of celebrities and asked which one was born in Wimbledon. The answer: Davina McCall.
Q: Which pub won CAMRA’s South West London Pub of the Year Award in 2025?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. If you or any of your friends are interested in getting involved with the Greensleeves, get in touch with them here. Do keep sharing The Wimble with your friends, family and neighbours — we’re inching ever closer to that 10,000 weekly subscribers mark. Other than that, have a great rest of the week and we’ll see you next time.
Fantastic as always, love the variety of people Zak interviews, the Greensleeves Dancers were a touch of olde England.