Wimbledon, United Kingdom

Wimbledon, United Kingdom

Wimbledon United Kingdom

Wimbledon is a district and town in southwest London, England, located about 7 miles (11.3 km) from central London (Charing Cross) in the London Borough of Merton. In 2011 it had a population of 68,187, including the wards of Abbey, Dundonald, Hillside, Trinity, Village, Raynes Park, and Wimbledon Park. The area is best known as the home of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the New Wimbledon Theatre, and it includes Wimbledon Common, one of London’s largest areas of common land. Its residential and commercial zones are traditionally divided into the “village” and the “town.” The High Street corresponds to the rebuilt medieval village, while the “town” area grew up gradually after the railway station opened in 1838. Wimbledon has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, when the hill fort on Wimbledon Common is believed to have been constructed. By 1086, at the time of the Domesday Book, it formed part of the manor of Mortlake. Over the centuries, ownership of the manor of Wimbledon passed through the hands of various wealthy families, and the district attracted affluent residents who built large houses such as Eagle House, Wimbledon Manor House, and Warren House. Historically, the village maintained a stable rural community alongside members of the nobility and prosperous city merchants. In the 18th century, the Dog and Fox public house became a staging post on the coach route from London to Portsmouth. Later, in 1838, the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) opened a station southeast of the village at the base of Wimbledon Hill, shifting the main focus of development away from the original village center. Wimbledon once had its own borough while it was still part of Surrey; in 1965 it was incorporated into the London Borough of Merton with the creation of Greater London. Today, Wimbledon has established minority communities, notably British Asians (including British Sri Lankans), British Ghanaians, Polish, and Irish residents. The New Zealand farming locality of Wimbledon, named in the 1880s, took its name from this London district after a local resident shot a bullock from a remarkable distance—a feat spectators compared to the rifle-shooting championships then held in Wimbledon.
Recommended airport
London (LON)
Nearby destinations
  • London a 9.20 km
  • Windsor a 28.88 km
  • LEGOLAND® Windsor a 30.99 km