Wimbledon, London

Wimbledon is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton seven miles (11.3 km), southwest of London's centre at Charing Cross.

Sport in Wimbledon

tennis was not the first sport to bring Wimbledon national fame. The National Rifle Association's first competitions took place in 1860 on Wimbledon Common and were opened by Queen Victoria firing the first shot. In 1878 the competitions, now lasting two weeks, had grown to nearly 2,500 competitors. But by the 1880s the power of rifles had advanced to an extent that shooting in an increasingly densely populated area was no longer considered safe and the last meeting was held in 1889 before the NRA moved to Bisley.

Related Topics:
Tennis - National Rifle Association's - Queen Victoria - 1889 - Bisley

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Meanwhile, in the 1870s, at the bottom of the hill between the railway line and Worple Road, the All-England Croquet Club had begun to hold its annual championships. But croquet was beginning to become less popular and after initially setting aside just one of its lawns for the new sport of lawn tennis, it decided to hold its first Lawn Tennis Championship in July 1877. Increasing popularity for tennis meant that the small grounds could not cope with the numbers of spectators and in 1922 the renamed All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved to new grounds near the village. Wimbledon historian Richard Milward recounts how King George V opened the new courts. "He gave three blows on a gong, the tarpaulins were removed, the first match started - and the rain came down..."

Related Topics:
1870s - Croquet - Lawn tennis - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club - King George V

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The club's old grounds continue to be used as the sports ground for Wimbledon High School.

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Wimbledon has also been well known for another brief period of sporting fame. Wimbledon Football Club won the FA Cup in May 1988 prompting great celebrations in the streets of the town as the team appeared on the balcony of the Town Hall. But by 2000 the team was demoted from the top division of English football after just 14 years competing amongst the country's top teams.

Related Topics:
Wimbledon Football Club - FA Cup - 1988

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Wimbledon had played their home games outside Wimbledon after the closure of their Plough Lane ground in 1991, and, as a final indignity for the club's fans, in September 2003 the club moved to Milton Keynes, about 70 miles north. As soon as The Football Association approved this move in May 2002, former Wimbledon FC supporters founded the semi-professional AFC Wimbledon, and support in Wimbledon overwhelmingly shifted to AFCW, who starting with their second season earned successive promotions to the First and Premier Divisions of the Isthmian League. As of May 2005 AFC Wimbledon completed the league and cup double for the second consecutive season.

Related Topics:
1991 - 2003 - Milton Keynes - The Football Association - 2002 - AFC Wimbledon - First - Premier - Isthmian League

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In the world of literature, Wimbledon provides the principal setting for several comic novels by author Nigel Williams (including the best-selling The Wimbledon Poisoner and They Came from SW19) as well as for Elisabeth Beresford's series of children's stories about the Wombles. Wimbledon was also the site where the sixth Martian invasion cylinder landed in H.G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds.

Related Topics:
Nigel Williams - Elisabeth Beresford - Wombles - Martian - H.G. Wells - The War of the Worlds

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It is home to the art school, the Wimbledon School of Art.

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John Major, British prime minister from 1990 to 1997, attended Rutlish Grammar School in Wimbledon from 1954 to 1959.

Related Topics:
John Major - 1990 - 1997 - Rutlish Grammar School - 1954 - 1959

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The crest of Wimbledon is the double-headed eagle, which is the reputed symbol of Julius Caesar, whose association, more or less mythical, with Wimbledon is indicated by 'Caesar's Camp' and 'Caesar's Well', which can be found on the Common. In 1965 a reorganisation of local government made the Borough of Wimbledon part of the London Borough of Merton.

Related Topics:
1965 - Borough - London Borough of Merton

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Wimbledon also is regarded as one of the most sought after and expensive residential locations of London.

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