A A Year in the Life of Wimbledon

For most people Wimbledon is synonymous with the tennis championship that swells the population of this upmarket London suburb every summer. In 2012 the iconic grass courts will host the tennis event at the Olympics as well as the annual grand slam. Wimbledon has much more to offer than the tennis however. There is the wonderful common, four golf courses, Cannizaro house and park, Wimbledon and Morden Park, greyhound and stock car racing and a football club with a fascinating history. Home to the mighty Cecil family in Tudor times, in later years William Wilberforce, Horatio Nelson and numerous ministers of state also lived in the area, drawn by both its beauty and proximity to London. When the railway arrived in the late nineteenth century the area at the bottom of Wimbledon Hill was developed and the population exploded. Today SW19 is a very sought after postcode. Joanna Jackson captures a year in the life of this vibrant, bustling town with its much-treasured green spaces, thriving cafe culture, theatres and boutiques.