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Wimbledon
Wimbledon maps
Historic maps of Wimbledon and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Wimbledon maps
Wimbledon area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Wimbledon and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Wimbledon
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Wimbledon.
There are 18 shared memories to read.
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Garfield Road Rec
Half way down Garfield Road was the Recreation Ground; better know to all as simply the Rec. It was quiet a large area bounded on one side by Garfield Road and the other by the River Wandle, about which more another time. Along the top end was the railway line and the bottom the fence dividing the Primary School from the Rec. You could see the kids clinging to the fence fingers and noses poking through the mesh peering at the green grass and all they had was a bitumen playground. On the Wandle side of the Rec was another wire mesh fence with a large padlocked gate at one end. Half way along the fence was a huge Sycamore tree. Of course the tree had lots of carving in it with hearts and initials, and you would ask yourself why they nearly always added ‘true’. Off centre towards the road side of the Rec were 2 mounds like square beached whales. On each corner was a concrete plate, which made the mounds... Read more
Mr Atlee of Garfield Road
Mr Atlee, or as he was when I knew him, Old Mr Atlee, lived on the corner of Cowper and Garfield Roads. Garfield Road was a long road starting at the balloon factory, passing the primary school and the Rec and ending at the Carton factory. Running along its length shooting off at right angles were 5 roads named after poets, starting with Cowper followed by Milton, Dryden, Tennyson and ending with Caxton. Caxton of course was not a poet but I suppose the developer either did not know it or thought “Ah well, it’s to do with writing” . Being on the corner Mr Atlee had two entrances, the one on Cowper Road had what we liked to describe as “the front garden”, the other was just a door giving onto Garfield Road. The front garden was in fact a patch of dirt with a low wall and a gate and a dustbin waiting to be collected. The wall used to have ornate iron railings running along the top,... Read more
Mmmm...Rushmere
How well I remember Rushmere. I used to attend Kings College School around 300 metres away, and a group of us would frequently return home along South Side with a quick detour to the pond. It was best in winter because of the weather. In winter it froze up at some point every year and skaters would be attracted to it. In 1963, the winter was so severe that it was frozen for almost 3 months.
Then there were the fogs - fantastically thick fogs which not only swallowed the light, but which produced an eerie silence. People would noiselessly emerge out of the fog as little as 5 metres away.
In later years I was in the school Cross Country team and all our races would start from the school and clip the edge of Rushmere before twisting away towards the windmill.
Ohhh. I didn't think I could be so nostalgic! I bet that somehow they have spoilt it in the intervening years.
Wimbledon Broadway
Hi Lesley, your life is a mirror image of mine! I too went to Dundonald Junior School then on to Pelham. We also moved in the London overspill scheme in 1961 to Frimley in Surrey. I also left my heart in Wimbledon, it will always be special. In those days I was Pam Page and had a sister Pat, we lived over Dunn & Co. in the Broadway opposite the Town Hall.
Lovely Childhood
I was born at St Hilliers, Carlshalton and lived in Pelham Road for the first 5 years. I started school at 4 in Pelham Road School. Then we moved to Mayfield Road and I went to Dundonald School. We moved away in 1961 in the London overspill scheme. I still am homesick after 50 years and go back whenever I can. We get the train and go to the theatre. I love just walking around, looking at the houses our family lived in and owned. I always get a tear in my eye. My heart is definitely still in Wimbledon.
Gladstone Road, Wimbledon 1967
I hope someone can help me on this, I worked in a garage just off the Broadway in Gladstone Road in 1967, quite a large garage which sold cars etc, but for the life of me I cannot remember the name of it. I do remember that it had a ramp to the side of it going up to the roof of the building and it also had an entrance in Russel Road and had a fuel pump located there, if someone could help me on this I would be most grateful.
Talent Contest . . .
On holiday from Inverness in 1952, my mate entered me in the Saturday night talent contest that was, I believe, held every Saturday then. I sang a brand new song called 'Luna Rosa' and went over very well. After all entrants had had a go, judged by audience applause a chap who had performed 'That Old Black Magic' and I were said to be a draw! So to decide which of us was the winner, both of us had to sing the same songs again! I WON!
The prize was a giant box of chocolates that I took home to my mother.
To say that I was chuffed would definitely be an understatement!
Tuck Shop
I remember going to the shop run by Mr and Mrs John Croft in Pelham Road at break time, to buy hot jam doughnuts and beer lollipops.
Lived in Gladstone Road, went to Pelham School and Merton Rush (on the corner of Dorset/Kingston Road). The smell of fresh ground coffee from a shop in the Broadway. Saturday morning pictures. Now living in Morden since 1987.
