Wimbledon Park | |
---|---|
Wimbledon Park Lake | |
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 11,197 (2011 Census. Ward) [1] |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | SW19 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
London Assembly | |
Wimbledon Park is the name of an urban park in Wimbledon and also of the suburb south and east of the park and the Wimbledon Park tube station. The park itself is 27 hectares (67 acres) in area. [2] The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is immediately to the west of the park. Wimbledon Park is not part of Wimbledon Common, which is situated further to the west up the hill.
The original park comprised part of the grounds of Wimbledon manor house, the seat of the manor of Wimbledon, situated on the hill to the south, near St Mary's Church, Wimbledon the old parish church of Wimbledon. A series of owners enlarged the park northwards and eastwards. By the 19th century it was at its largest extent, and one of the homes of the Earls Spencer, lords of the manor. The park had been landscaped in the 18th century by Capability Brown when the lake was formed by constructing a dam across a brook that flows from the springline near Wimbledon Common down to the River Wandle in Earlsfield. [3]
In 1846, the 4th Earl Spencer sold the estate and house to John Augustus Beaumont a property developer who laid out new roads and sold plots of land for house building. Two roads still bear his name today – Augustus Road and Beaumont Road. Development of the area was slow at first, but continued throughout the second half of the 19th century, gradually nibbling away at the parkland.
The modern park was purchased by the Borough of Wimbledon just before the First World War and is, with its ornamental lake, the grounds of the Wimbledon Club and Wimbledon Golf Course, the only remnant of the former, larger park. Late in the 20th century the London Borough of Merton sold on the Golf Course to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, leaving just the public park and the lake in its ownership. Along the park's northern edge lies Horse Close wood, a small patch of old planted woodland, largely consisting of Ash and Oak. A Balcony is situated near the entrance at Home Park Road that once served as a tea room before the Second World War. After its closure and abandonment, its windows got vandalised and was boarded up, as showcased in Raymond Briggs's story of his parents who once lived in the area, Ethel and Ernest. The Balcony has since become a Police Station.
Wimbledon Park was added to the English Heritage (now Historic England) register of historic parks and gardens in 1987. [4]
A new children's water play area was opened in 2007, named the Elisabeth Pool in memory of a local child. [5]
The London Underground District line runs to the east of the Park between Southfields tube station and Wimbledon Park station.
Wimbledon Park is home to a wide range of leisure facilities including tennis courts, a bowls pavilion, beach volleyball court and an outdoor and Watersports centre which offer a huge range of activities such as Sailing, Kayaking and Canoeing on the large lake which is park of the park.
The park also contains an athletics stadium with 400m track.
Every November a large fireworks display takes place in Wimbledon Park, organised by Merton Council it is one of the largest and most popular shows in London.
Wimbledon Manor House – For early history of Wimbledon Park and the manor
Morden is a district and town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Merton, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. It adjoins Merton Park and Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Sutton to the south and Worcester Park to the west, and is around 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, for local government purposes, Morden was in the administrative and historic county of Surrey.
Wimbledon is a district and town of south-west London, England, 7.0 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes the electoral wards of Abbey, Wimbledon Town and Dundonald, Hillside, Wandle, Village, Raynes Park and Wimbledon Park.
The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey.
Merton Park is a suburb in the London Borough of Merton. It is situated in Wimbledon. Bordering areas are Colliers Wood, Morden, South Wimbledon and Raynes Park. It is 7.25 miles (11.7 km) southwest of Charing Cross.It lies 2.8 miles east of Kingston upon Thames, 3 miles west of Mitcham and 4.5 miles north of Sutton.
Southfields is a district of inner London located within the London Borough of Wandsworth, England, 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of Charing Cross. Southfields is mainly residential, historically a part of Wandsworth itself, and is divided between the SW18 and SW19 postcode areas.
Raynes Park is a residential suburb, railway station and local centre near Wimbledon, London, and is within the London Borough of Merton. It is situated southwest of Wimbledon Common, to the northwest of Wimbledon Chase and to the east of New Malden, in South West London. It is 7.8 miles (12.5 km) southwest of Charing Cross. Towards the north and west, either side of the borough boundary with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames are the areas of Copse Hill and Coombe with their large detached houses, golf courses and gated lands. Raynes Park had a population of 19,619 in 2011, which refers to the populations of the wards of Raynes Park and West Barnes.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass. Initially an amateur event that occupied club members and their friends for a few days each summer, the championships have become far more prominent than the club itself.
Southfields is a London Underground station in Southfields in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The station is on the District line between East Putney and Wimbledon Park stations. The station is located on Wimbledon Park Road at the junction with Augustus Road and Replingham Road. It is in Travelcard Zone 3.
Church End is a locality within Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Aside from its church it centres on Finchley Central Underground station. Church End is an old village, now a suburban development, centred 7 miles (11 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross.
The London Borough of Bexley owns and maintains over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, with a total of 638 hectares. They include small gardens, river and woodland areas, and large parks with many sporting and other facilities.
Dulwich Park is a 30.85-hectare (76.2-acre) public park in Dulwich in the London Borough of Southwark, south London, England. The park was created by the Metropolitan Board of Works from former farmland and meadows. While the initial design was by Charles Barry (junior), it was later refined by Lt Col JJ Sexby. It was opened in 1890 by Lord Rosebery. From 2004 to 2006, the park was restored to its original Victorian layout, following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The park is listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The Home Park, previously known as the Little Park, is a 2.65 km2 royal park near Windsor, Berkshire, administered by the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom. It is the private grounds of Windsor Castle. It lies mainly on the eastern side of the castle in the former civil parish of Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. The park includes the Frogmore estate, and several private organisations related to the estate have facilities in the park. To the Home Park's south is the Windsor Great Park, largely open to the public.
The 1877 Wimbledon Championship was a men's tennis tournament held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London. It was the world's first official lawn tennis tournament, and was later recognised as the first Grand Slam tournament or "Major". The AEC & LTC had been founded in July 1868, as the All England Croquet Club. Lawn tennis was introduced in February 1875 to compensate for the waning interest in croquet. In June 1877 the club decided to organise a tennis tournament to pay for the repair of its pony roller, needed to maintain the lawns. A set of rules was drawn up for the tournament, derived from the first standardised rules of tennis issued by the Marylebone Cricket Club in May 1875.
Earnshill House in Hambridge, near Curry Rivel, Somerset, England is a grand Georgian manor house, set in parkland. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
Stoke Park is a private sporting and leisure estate in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. The mansion building is located in the middle of 300 acres (1.2 km2) of parkland, lakes, gardens and monuments. In 1908, the estate was converted into one of the first country clubs in the UK. In 2013, it was awarded five red AA stars, the highest accolade for service and facilities for hotels, by The Automobile Association.
The Ranelagh Club was a polo club located at Barn Elms in south west London, England. It was founded in 1878 as a split-off from the Hurlingham Club and by 1894 was the largest polo club in the world. The club had approximately 3000 members in 1913, including many prominent military figures and members of different royal families.
Wimbledon manor house; the residence of the lord of the manor, was an English country house at Wimbledon, Surrey, now part of Greater London. The manor house was over the centuries exploded, burnt and several times demolished. The first known manor house, The Old Rectory was built around 1500 still stands as a private home, despite very nearly falling into a state beyond repair, in the 19th century. The ambitious later Elizabethan prodigy house, Wimbledon Palace, was "a house of the first importance" according to Sir John Summerson, and is now demolished.
Manor House Gardens is a 3.34-hectare public park and gardens situated in Lee, in south east London. The park features a walled flower garden, ornamental pond, fountain, ice-house, cafeteria, children's playground, community garden, dog-walking area and tennis courts/multi-purpose sports pitches. There is also a Park Ranger's Office and information point adjacent to the cafe, and the River Quaggy flows from east to west across the southern part of the park.
Edward Lake Williams was a British tennis player active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a finalist in the men's doubles at the 1884 Wimbledon Championships partnering Ernest Wool Lewis where they lost to William Renshaw and Ernest Renshaw. In singles he was quarter finalist at the Northern Championships, and semi-finalist at the Princes Club Championships in 1883. From 1881 until 1908 he contested 13 career finals and won 6 titles in singles.
The Brockenhurst Open was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1914. The event also known as the New Forest Open was organised by the New Forest Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and played at the Brockenhurst Park Estate and House until 1939 when it was discontinued due to World War II.
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