What role did Wimbledon play in the suffragette movement?
Plus: New woodland areas to be created across Merton
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that everyone has had a lovely week so far. Quick update: The Wimble’s print edition will be ready from next Friday! Details about where to collect your free copy will be posted in next week’s edition.
This week, we spoke to Cynthia Valianti Corbett, the woman behind Her Court: The Role Wimbledon Played in the Suffragette Movement — a Young Masters exhibition in collaboration with Wimbledon Museum. Cynthia moved to Wimbledon with her family in 1994. In 2004, she set up her own nomadic gallery, the Cynthia Corbett Gallery. Cynthia and I sat down to talk about her career, what it takes to curate, the role Wimbledon played in the suffragette movement (without too many spoilers), and what this new exhibition aims to achieve. Scroll down to read all about it.
We’ve also got your usual news snippets, some fun recommendations to keep you busy before the tennis and a very dashing property of the week.
Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🌲 New woodland to be created in Morden Park and other areas across Merton. Thousands of trees are set to be planted across Merton over the next year, creating several new woodland areas that will benefit both wildlife and local communities, with the first to be built in Morden Park. Click here to read the full press release.
🍻 Stella Artois has released a limited-edition “Strawberries & Cream” lager ahead of The Championships this year. The Strawberries & Cream Lager has a lower ABV of 3.4% and a light pink colour, as one might expect from a strawberry-flavoured lager. You’ll only be able to grab the beer from Sainsbury’s and Co-Op stores, so keep your eyes peeled if flavoured beer is your jam.
🚧 Work has started on dozens of new council homes across Merton. The borough is expected to see more than 75 affordable homes built in Merton through a partnership with L&Q and the council. Construction formally began on June 4 at Raleigh Gardens in Mitcham. The wider project is backed by investment from the mayor of London’s Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026. Click here to read more.
The Wimble’s sponsor of the week 💻
This week’s sponsor of the week is Huddle. Huddle has everything from coworking and private offices to meeting rooms and singular pods for when you need to take those important calls. Use the Wimble code above — HuddleTennis26 — for 50 per cent off a day pass, which is normally £36.
Property of the week 🏡
This stylish period conversion flat sits within a rather decadent development, just a stone’s throw from Wimbledon Common. The property boasts high ceilings, wooden floors, three bedrooms (one with an en suite) and a private balcony. Talk about decadence. But what’s the damage? £1.5 million. Nice if you can afford it. Check out more photos here.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎯
🎹 Mozart’s Requiem: Conducted by Sacred Heart’s Director of Music, Robert Rathbone, this deeply moving evening of choral and orchestral music is not one to miss. Written in the final weeks of his life (though not completed), Requiem is a beautiful and haunting piece of music. Tickets are £20, though there are concessions available.
Where: Sacred Heart Church
When: Saturday 20 June, 8pm
💍 Wedding showcase at the Coach House: Have you been thinking about buying that ring? Is it time to pop the question? Head to the Coach House in the heart of Wimbledon Village this weekend to talk with their wedding team and meet local suppliers. The event is entirely free, and no booking is required.
Where: Coach House, Wimbledon Village
When: Sunday 21 June, 12–3pm
🎾 King’s Arts 2026: Judy Murray OBE: Join Judy Murray as she talks to Gaby Huddart, reflecting on her remarkable journey as a player, a coach and a leading advocate for women in sport. This summer, Judy will publish her second novel Game, Set and Murder, and part of her talk will include her thoughts on finding creative inspiration. Tickets are £32.50 per person and include a glass of wine (£15 for under 21s, including a soft drink).
Where: King’s Festival Marquee, King’s College School
When: Monday 22 June, 7.30pm
🦅 ‘Tailored Swift’ Walk: Join the Wimbledon Swifts Group for this guided walk in support of National Swift Awareness Week. There will be a short talk on swifts in the area as well as a walk to try and spot the beautiful birds in the sky and identify their nesting sites. To book a spot, email Louise at wimbledonswifts@outlook.com.
Where: Wimbledon War Memorial
When: Wednesday 24 June, 7.30pm
🍸 Bring your own booze comedy: Join this event for a high-energy night of laughs at Wimbledon Library. Bring your own booze (whatever you fancy), kick back and have a jolly good time. Tickets are £5 — book them here.
Where: Wimbledon Library
When: Wednesday 24 June, 8pm
🎶 St John’s June lunchtime recital: This recital will feature Sara Minelli (flute) and Jelena Makarova (piano). performing a programme of works by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Wilhelmine Von Bayreuth, Górecki, Messiaen and Janáček. A new piece by Simon Speare, "Epione Soothes", will also have its world premiere. As ever, this recital is free, but donations are very much encouraged.
Where: St John the Baptist
When: Friday 26 June, 1pm
🦌 Game butchery masterclass and dinner: Hosted by game dealer Chris, the night will begin with a hands-on demonstration as he guides you through preparing and butchering a whole roe deer. Chef Holly will then take over the evening, cooking a seasonal feast over open fire. Tickets are £70.20.
Where: Dog & Fox
When: Friday 26 June, 7–10pm
🥕 Rooftop Farm Tour x London Climate Action Week: This tour is a fun and insightful exploration of sustainability, growing in an urban environment, and the positive effects of urban farming. Tickets are £15 and include 50% off your coffee upon arrival at The Fire Station Café as well as a 50% discount voucher for the farm’s honey and mushrooms (sold at the café). Book here.
Where: Rooftop Farm, Wimbledon Quarter
When: Saturday 27 June
Her Court: In conversation with Cynthia Valianti Corbett 🟪⬜️🟩
Cynthia Valianti Corbett was working for Citibank in New York when an opportunity to transfer to London arose. She took it, and she’s been here ever since. In 2004, she launched her own “nomadic gallery”, the Cynthia Corbett Gallery. In 2009, Cynthia founded the not-for-profit Young Masters Art Prize. Today, Young Masters has developed into a dynamic programme of exhibitions, museum collaborations, art fairs, talks, and online initiatives that bring contemporary artists into dialogue with history, heritage, and cultural memory.
This summer, Young Masters is taking on one of its most exciting projects yet, Her Court: The Role Wimbledon Played in the Suffragette Movement. The project is in collaboration with Wimbledon Museum (the host of the exhibition) and will run from 2-11 July. This week, I sat down with Cynthia to talk about nomadic galleries, moving to Wimbledon, what it took to get this project off the ground and, crucially, the role that Wimbledon played in the suffragette movement.
Let’s start with you. Were you always in the art world? What galvanised you to start your gallery in 2004?
I, like so many women, found myself at a career crossroads not long after starting a family. I’d studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Massachusetts and pursued a career as an international economist and diplomat. I joined Citibank in New York, transferred to London in 1986, married an Englishman, started a family and ended up staying in the UK. At the time, I was still working and negotiating international debt issues for emerging countries, so I was constantly travelling all over Africa, the USA, and Central, Eastern and Western Europe. And I loved it! But with a family, that sort of career can be difficult.
In 1998, I turned to my husband and said, “I want to go back to college and study art history.” So that’s what I did. I knew I wanted a gallery, but I also knew that I couldn’t afford my own permanent space in central London (which is where I would need to be in order to give my artists enough visibility). So from the very beginning in 2004, my gallery was nomadic. This basically meant that someone would lend me a part of their house near Regents Park, a section of their restaurant or a private room at a hotel. And equally, when I had the money, I would rent out spaces in Marleybone, Mayfair or Chelsea.
Did you find this nomadic style challenging?
In the beginning, it was hard. I had to foster new partnerships and hope that these partnerships prevailed. You have to be incredibly organised to run a nomadic gallery, which, thankfully, I was. But you also have to be incredibly realistic and respectful. You’re using other people’s spaces, and you need to adapt to that.
What is Young Masters? And how does it relate to your upcoming exhibition?
Young Masters was created as a means to help emerging artists. It’s separate to my gallery and not for profit. “Young” stands for contemporary, and “Masters” means looking at history and those that came before you. I have always loved art history, so Young Masters was an extension of that passion, in some ways. We’ve run around half a dozen prizes since its inception in 2009, as well as exhibitions, museum collaborations, art fairs, educational events and talks.
For this Young Masters exhibition, we did an open call for artists to draw on the archives of Wimbledon Museum and respond to the title: “Her Court: The Role Wimbledon Played in the Suffragette Movement”. I have to say, we were very lucky that the brilliant people at the Wimbledon Society and Wimbledon Museum were so amazing in curating the research for us. The museum may look small, but it’s got a treasure trove of artefacts and archives, all of which the artists were invited to respond to. There have been hundreds of submissions, but in the end we could only select 14 artists. We decided to look at everything for this exhibition: painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, spoken word, performance, video and photography. An artist’s response to Her Court was designed to be multi-faceted. And the submissions have honestly been incredible.
And without spoiling the exhibition, what role did Wimbledon play in the suffragette movement?
Central to this exhibition is Rose Lamartine Yates. She was a leading figure in the suffragette movement, honorary secretary of Wimbledon’s Social and Political Union, and lived at Dorset Hall in Merton from 1906-35. Yates was a real trailblazer, a real badass. She was even arrested in 1909 and imprisoned in Holloway Jail for a whole month. When suffragettes were released from prison, they were given a silver brooch, known as the “Holloway brooch”, and Rose’s is in Wimbledon Museum, which is really special. What’s even more special is the fact that these brooches were designed by Sylvia Pankhurst, and Helen Pankhurst (CBE) — her granddaughter — is this exhibition’s special advisor. Helen will actually be delivering a talk exploring the themes behind Her Court on Tuesday 7 July, which is such an honour.
It also only occurred to me last year that the suffragette colours (purple, white and green) are very similar to the purple and green colours of the All England Tennis Club. Whether our artists want to bring the tennis — and, more specifically, the history of women at The Championships — into their pieces is entirely up to them, but I think it’s very important to explore that symbolic overlap between the visual language of Wimbledon tennis and the suffrage movement. Really, at its core, this exhibition is about women’s history, protest, visibility and how these themes resonate in our contemporary lives today.
Her Court: The Role Wimbledon Played in the Suffragette Movement begins with a private viewing on Thursday 2 July (RSVP here). If you’re interested in attending Helen Pankhurst’s talk with Carmela Corbett, grab your tickets here. The exhibition will then run until Saturday 11 July.
Location: Wimbledon Museum, 22 Ridgway, SW19 4QN
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I gave you a list and asked which of the athletes hails from Wimbledon. The answer: James Hunt.
Q: Which of these famous American rappers was born in Wimbledon?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope you enjoyed our interview with Cynthia. Make sure to check our the Her Court exhibition when it opens in July. Other than that, have a great rest of the week and look out for our print edition.