Drink Pimms, eat strawberries and come and watch amazing tennis at Wimbledon, which is known across the globe as the home of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Aside from the tennis (which only takes place during two weeks of every year), Wimbledon is an area growing in popularity for you to discover, with amazing open spaces and museums. Situated in the London borough of Merton, surrounded by areas like Richmond, Putney, Streatham and Sutton, you’ll find that Wimbledon sits outside the congestion charging zone and within Tube Zone 3. There are three tube stations within the district, which makes it incredibly easy to get to central London from Here. If you take a train from Wimbledon Station you can travel to London Waterloo, home of the London Eye, in just under 20 minutes!

The ancient village of Wimbledon is first mentioned in a Charter signed by King Edgar the Peaceful in 967, although it had been referred to previously as ‘Wynnmon’s Dun’, dun being the old English for ‘hill’. The spelling changed many times over the centuries as the area became more popular, due mainly for it’s proximity to London. Sir Thomas Cecil really put Wimbledon on the map during the 16th Century by improving the road to the capital and building a manor house. Those entertained here included Queen Elizabeth I and James I and VI. This transformed the village from a relative backwater, into one of the social centres of Elizabethan and Stuart England.

In the 1780’s, the manor house was burnt down, but was replaced in 1801 with Wimbledon Park House. There may have been windmills on the Common since before the 17th Century, but the current mill was constructed in 1817, on condition that it was worked as a corn mill. The mill came to the end of its working life in the 1860’s. The arrival of the railway in 1838 resulted in the area rapidly expanding with Victorian professional classes, buying or building large houses with pleasant gardens. Following extensive damage during World War 11, much of the area was rebuilt and extended into the Wimbledon that you will see today when you come and visit.

Obviously, the huge bonus point to staying in Wimbledon is that you’ll be on the doorstep of the tennis championships when they take place. You’ll be able to lap up the vibrancy of the area, enjoy amazing tennis matches and spot the stars that come to watch! Wimbledon is much more than a place where a tennis championship takes place though. There are plentiful recreational facilities including Wimbledon Common, as well as lots of bistros, restaurants and pubs. There’s also a large and lively multicultural community vibe, as well as plenty of affordable hotels. As if that isn’t enough, Wimbledon is so well connected to central London via tube and train that you’ll find it easy to explore all the top London attractions too!

If you’re coming to Wimbledon during the tennis championships then be prepared for a busy, chaotic and hectic district that’s full to bursting point with tennis lovers and revellers. However, if you’re coming to Wimbledon outside of that time, you’ll find that the area offers fairly quiet nightlife during the week, but livens up during the weekend. There are plenty of high street shops at Wimbledon, but the choice isn’t that brilliant. However as Kingston or Croydon are nearby, you can always travel to the amazing shopping offered by these districts, or take the tube to Oxford Street.