Museum of Wimbledon

#172

Run by the Wimbledon Society, this small local-history museum stitches together the story of Wimbledon from its Iron Age hillfort and medieval manor to suburban growth, commons conservation and world-famous sport nearby. Expect compact displays mixing archaeology, maps, prints, domestic objects and trade ephemera that place Wimbledon Common and the town around it in a much longer timeline than the tennis fortnight.

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Opening Hours

Sunday: 14:30 – 17:00

Friday: 14:30 – 17:00

Saturday: 14:30 – 17:00

What's not to miss inside?

Wimbledon Common & the 1871 Act

Shows how the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act (1871) created a unique model of public stewardship still in force today.

Maps, by-laws and early photographs reveal how common land was legally protected for recreation and natural habitat during Victorian expansion.

Find the Conservators on an early document, then spot the same governance model on a modern map of the Common.

📍 Introductory cases and Common section

Caesar’s Camp: Iron Age Wimbledon

Links Wimbledon to pre-Roman Britain via the Iron Age hillfort on the Common’s western ridge.

Sherds, tools and reconstruction drawings make a visible bridge between the present heath and a defended settlement on high ground.

Trace the hillfort’s ditch line on the relief map, then match a pottery fragment to its period label.

📍 Archaeology displays

Manor, Village, Town

Explains the shift from manorial estate to commuter suburb through estate plans, parish records and cottage artefacts.

A single parish chest and tithe plan can tell you who owned what, where roads ran and how fields became streets.

Pick one farm name from a tithe map and try to locate its footprint on today’s street grid.

📍 Medieval–Georgian wall

Lawn Tennis Begins at Worple Road

Anchors Wimbledon’s global sporting identity to a local address: the first Championships were played at Worple Road (1877) before the move to Church Road (1922).

Early rackets, tickets and programmes show a village club event turning into an international tournament—rooted in a neighbourhood.

Compare an early ticket price to a period wage shown nearby to grasp who could afford to attend.

📍 Sport & leisure section

🤓 Fun Facts

Wimbledon Common’s Iron Age hillfort, often called Caesar’s Camp, encloses several hectares—its earthworks are among the largest prehistoric remains in Greater London.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871 established elected Conservators; this community governance structure is still the legal basis for managing the Common today.

The first Wimbledon Championships (1877) were held at Worple Road; the All England Club didn’t relocate to Church Road until 1922.