The Wimble's print edition has arrived!

Plus: New coffee shops, e-bike restrictions and Glastonbury comes to SW19

Jun 19, 2025

Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that everyone is enjoying their week so far.

I want to start with an announcement. Drum roll, please! On Tuesday afternoon, we received 20,000 copies of The Wimble’s first-ever print edition! We can’t tell you how excited we are to share it with you.

We’ve been planning to do this edition for ages: a special summer edition that brings together some of our favourite Wimble stories, our top local recommendations and a few nice pieces that take you inside the tennis championships too. We’re hoping it will give Wimble readers something to share with friends and also provide a useful guide to people visiting from around the world.

Copies are entirely free, so make sure to grab one from either Wimbledon Quarter or The Fire Station Café. The Wimble launched a year ago this month, and this milestone would not have been possible without every single one of our loyal readers showing such incredible support. So thank you!

Also, in recent weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of you in person, and it’s been so lovely to hear how much you’ve been enjoying what we’re doing. But enough gushing, let’s get on with this week’s edition.

We’ve got your usual news snippets, some great recommendations for the week ahead, and a report on last week’s Rooftop Farm x Fire Station Café collab (don’t worry if you missed out on a ticket to the event last week; there’ll be more opportunities in the future to meet the team behind the farm, just sign up to their mailing list here to keep up to date.).

Get in touch if you have any stories you’d like us to feature: zak@thewimble.com. Other than that, happy reading!

News snippets 🗞

☕️ Two new coffee shops are opening in Wimbledon. The first is Aussie brand Urban Baristas, which will open on the ground floor of Wimbledon Quarter, right opposite Third Space and overlooking the courtyard. With a focus on specialty coffee and healthy Aussie lifestyle choices, Urban Baristas is looking to provide a welcoming corner of calm for local residents. The second new coffee shop, YAYHOUSE, has already soft launched in Wimbledon Chase. YAYHOUSE is a local cafe that, according to their fundraising page, aims to “provide a place for locals and visitors to relax, share stories and create new friends, with good, high-quality coffee, light meals, and fresh baked goods.” The soft opening period will last from 3—21 June before their grand opening on 28 June.

🚒 A fire broke out at a ground-floor flat in Raynes Park on Sunday. The fire brigade received the first of four calls at 3.39pm, and four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended the scene. One man left the property in Grayswood Gardens — before firefighters arrived — and was treated by the London Ambulance Service. The fire was then extinguished at 4.36pm. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

💪 Strong Pilates have announced an exclusive two weeks of unlimited Pilates classes for Wimbledon Championships ticket holders. The offer will cost £109; a steal when you consider that 10 classes usually sets you back £270. You’ll need to download the app to redeem the offer. As someone who has been to Strong Pilates, I can say that you certainly get your money’s worth — it took my legs three days to recover. Check out our feature on them here.

🚳 Merton Council have secured agreements to tackle e-bikes blocking pavements. The new agreement with Lime and Forest will address poorly parked electric bikes and help to “keep our pavements clear and accessible for everyone”. The agreement, which came into force on Monday, means that Lime and Forest users in the borough can only end their journey in designated physical or virtual parking bays. The council has said that they will be “actively monitoring the compliance of Lime and Forest with these new requirements.” Read more about the new rules here.

🏛 The London Festival of Architecture and the London Borough of Merton have announced their shortlist for the Morden Moments design competition, which invited emerging architects, designers and artists to put forward a team that would deliver exciting interventions for public spaces across Morden. Each shortlisted team — which you can view here — will develop their design proposal for a second round of judging. Then, one or two winners will be chosen.

Property of the week 🏡

There’s no denying it, this house is a real beauty. Just look at those wooden beams, the ridiculously long (83ft) garden and that corkscrew wine cellar. I think I’m in love. Truth be told, I’m a real sucker for an Arts and Crafts house. Modernism is all well and good, but it can lack that connection to nature. And who doesn’t want their very own inglenook fireplace? But, I warn you, the price for this stunning abode is not cheap: it’ll set you back £3.4 million. Check out more photos here.

The Wimble’s to-do list 📺

🎸 Experience Glastonbury on the big screen: Thank you to Love Wimbledon for bringing Glastonbury to SW19 for the first time ever. Experience the UK’s biggest music festival for free right in the heart of Wimbledon on the Piazza. On screening days, there will also be a pop-up market with food, drinks and festival treats. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the Glasto or you just fancy a bit of music in the sunshine, this free event is not one to miss.

Where: The Piazza, Wimbledon town centre

When: Friday 27 June – Sunday 29 June

🎨 Art exhibition: Modern Ruin: “In a world where permanence is a myth and identity is under constant reconstruction, Modern Ruin explores what remains when time, weather, and culture erode the surface.” Ad Lib Gallery’s powerful exhibition showcases the work of Louisa Tebbut, 66HUNDRED, and a variety of fantastic guest artists. There will be a private viewing tomorrow from 6–8pm — RSVP with this link.

Where: Ad Lib Gallery, Wimbledon Village

When: Thursday 19 June – Friday 27 June, 10am – 5.30pm

🎹 King’s Arts 2025: Forty pianists and four pianos: This is your chance to hear 40 pianists from both the junior and senior schools at KCS — as well as all nine of the school’s piano teachers — explore repertoires written for one, two, three and four pianos (that’s right… there will be four grand pianos and eight pianists playing simultaneously). Tickets are £12 and include a glass of wine.

Where: King’s Concert Hall at King’s College School

When: Tuesday 24 June, 6.45pm

🎻 St John’s Lunchtime Recital: Anthea Fry on Piano: We’re back with another final Friday of the month lunchtime recital. This time, Anthea Fry will bless our ears on the piano with pieces by Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven. As always, this event is free, though attendees are encouraged to arrive at 12.30pm if they want to purchase some refreshments.

Where: St John the Baptist

When: Friday 27 June, 1—1.45pm

🏃‍♀️ Wimbledon Common parkrun: Let’s include a little fitness into this list. This is a free, fun and friendly 5k community event through Wimbledon Common. If, like me, you haven’t worn your running shoes since before Covid, fret not! This run can be jogged, walked or stumbled at your own pace.

Where: The Windmill car park, Wimbledon Common

When: Saturday 28 June, 9am—onwards

From crostini to patties: The Rooftop Farm comes to The Fire Station Café 🍄

At the beginning of May, I ran a feature about Wimbledon Quarter’s Rooftop Farm. I met with Oliver (mushroom specialist) and James (senior farm manager) to learn about everything from mushroom labs to pest prevention. A bit like a child in the Wonka Chocolate Factory, I was dying to try the food. But you can’t just grab a courgette from the ground and start munching — it’s not the done thing. So you can imagine my glee when I scored a golden ticket (pun definitely intended) to the Taste of The Rooftop Farm event last week. Hosted in The Fire Station Café, the event celebrated the flavours of The Rooftop Farm through food crafted by local chefs. Here’s what I found. (Also, don’t forget to sign up to The Rooftop Farm’s mailing list for future events.)

It’s a hot day in Wimbledon — 6pm, but the sun hasn’t let up. With my backpack flung over one shoulder, I’m the picture of a perspiring urban professional as I queue outside The Fire Station Café. I take my ticket — a letter and number which denotes the tour group I am in — and I head inside. The staff at The Fire Station Café are busily crafting cocktails, a complimentary peach and gin (from Wimbledon Brewery) elixir infused with honey from The Rooftop Farm. I take one from the counter and say, grinning, “Don’t mind if I do.” I have never uttered the phrase “don’t mind if I do” before — perhaps the heat is getting to me.

It’s a busy night, and the event sold out within days of being posted online. I get talking to an attendee who says it’s her first time in The Fire Station Café. It’s also her first time seeing The Rooftop Farm: “I heard about this place months ago, but I didn’t know how to find it. Then I saw the event online and just booked a spot immediately.” I proudly tell her that I know the team at the farm, but just as I’m about to launch into a humblebrag monologue, she is taken away upstairs for the first tour of the evening. The rest of us remain in the café as Vanessa Marx, head chef at the Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond, greets us. While we have been slurping on beers, wine and cocktails, Vanessa has been slaving away at her portable stove creating delicious concoctions with oyster mushrooms from The Rooftop Farm. Everyone is given the chance to taste her creations. They’re fantastic — just as fantastic as they were last year — and there are plenty to go around.

Next up is Laura, the brilliant mind behind Lula’s Patties. In 2023, Laura was a finalist at the UK Caribbean Food Awards in the National Bakery category, and it’s little wonder why. Using produce from The Rooftop Farm, Laura has made roasted garlic oyster mushroom and squash patties. They’re amazing. But I knew that already; they sell them at The Fire Station Café.

My number is called, which means it’s my group’s turn to venture upstairs. There, we listen to James (senior farm manager) as he explains how the produce is growing. Since my last visit, the yield has expanded significantly. I watch as attendees walk around, admiring the vegetables and herbs. People clasp their hands behind their backs and look approvingly at the vegetation, and I hear someone ask, “Why aren’t my courgettes that big?” Next up is Oliver and his quasi-sci-fi mushroom lab. Oliver doesn’t need to try to engage the audience when it comes to mushrooms; his sheer enthusiasm for the fungi is infectious.

We head back downstairs. Barnaby Shaw, The Rooftop Farm’s resident beekeeper, is giving a speech in his rather chic Ghostbusters-inspired bee suit. There’s a slab of raw honeycomb. Each of us gets a spoon to dip and taste. Honey has always been my Achilles’ heel; I can’t get enough of it. I even put it in my cuppa (apologies to the tea purists reading this).

We finish the evening with cakes from Thrift Bakery. Sam, the maestro behind Thrift, is fast-becoming a Wimbledon legend (check out our feature with him here). When all of the food has been eaten and the drinks drunk, it is time to leave. Each of us is given a tote bag (score!) and a pot of honey to take home. I leave full, slightly sunburnt and wanting more — I’ll be on the lookout for the next Rooftop Farm event.

Do sign up to The Rooftop Farm’s mailing list if you’re interested in future events.

Question of the week 🔍

Last week, I asked you who the first MP for Wimbledon was. The answer: Cosmo Bonsor.

Q: Which of these actors attended King’s College School, Wimbledon?

You’re up to date 👋

Thank you for reading this week’s edition. Look out for further events in collaboration with The Rooftop Farm. Also, make sure you grab a copy of our print edition in the coming weeks! Other than that, enjoy the sun and we’ll see you next time.