Wimbledon, where we live, is probably the best-known London suburb in the World. That’s because of the All England Lawn Tennis Championships (AELTC), which take place over the first two weeks of July.
In truth, we live close-ish to the AELTC. If we could magically move our modest, suburban, semi-detached house three kilometres nearer to the courts, we could rent it out for several thousand pounds during Wimbledon fortnight. And increase the value of our property by at least 50%.
Letter to the Editor
There’s a perhaps apocryphal story that Serena Williams, during her imperious reign in the Women’s Singles, rented the same beautiful house every year near Wimbledon Village, aka the really-posh-part of my hometown. One year the owners decided they absolutely had to stay at home during the tournament. Perhaps for superstitious reasons, Ms. Williams immediately, so the story goes, doubled her offer. I’m sure the owners had a very nice holiday, a little earlier than planned perhaps.
For just two weeks in the summer, the UK becomes obsessed by a sport in which it shows very little interest for the rest of the year. Perhaps that’s one reason why we’ve had so few Wimbledon champions over the years. The indefatigable, two-time winner, Andy Murray is a notable, recent exception.
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So, what is life in Wimbledon like during the Championships? Busy, busy. Wimbledon Village is a lovely part of London with traditional pubs and nice restaurants, but I tend to avoid the area during Wimbledon fortnight. Its shops and businesses make a real effort, however, holding an annual competition for the best shop window.
Our neighbour, a bookshop manager, won a prize for the window pictured. I made a small but, I think, significant contribution, as she made a call out for old tennis balls on our street WhatsApp. I contributed one tennis ball. It may have been the decisive factor. Who knows? Bottom row, second from the left, if you’re interested.
The AELTC is quite close to Wimbledon Common, the largest area of heathland in London. It is a lovely, unspoilt place to go for a stroll, with a golf course, an old windmill, museum and adjoining cafe. There are also the remains of an Iron Age fort, erroneously named Caesar’s Camp in the nineteenth century.
Take a pleasant stroll on Wimbledon Common and, though it’s a long shot, you might just have an outside chance of spotting a Womble – Wombling free.
