Wimbledon Museum has reopened following an extensive refurbishment and redesign.
Open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2.30pm to 5pm.
FREE ENTRY.
Wimbledon Museum is a small, independent museum proud to champion the history and people of Wimbledon’s village, town and common.
In 1916, local people came together to conserve the treasures and share the stories that made Wimbledon special. They founded a museum and for more than 100 years, successive generations have championed and cherished our local history here. Restored and redesigned for the 21st century, Wimbledon Museum invites people to make new connections and deepen their understanding of the place we love.
From suffragettes to slave owners, a postman to a princess: find out about the people of Wimbledon’s past and help us tell the stories of Wimbledon’s present. Visit our museum and meet the characters who have shaped our communities.
The big museums present the treasures of the world. Linger a little in our museum and we’ll show you history on your doorstep – the village, the town, the common, who lived here and what mattered to them. If you wake up in Wimbledon or visit occasionally, if you grew up here or have just arrived, you’re part of that story too. Bring your associations, find new ones.
We’re making history here.
What’s On
Kids’ Christmas crafts at the Museum
Saturday 16th December, 2.30pm–4.30pm
We are welcoming families for a free, drop-in art session for children aged 3+. Come along and create a wonderful Christmas card, inspired by our temporary exhibit of the stag maquette for the sculpture in front of Wimbledon Station.
Booking in advance is not necessary.
Book-binding Workshop
Sunday 17th December from 2:30 to 5pm
Treat yourself to a book-binding workshop and discover the art of creating your own beautiful books from scratch. Do you keep diaries and journals? Are you looking for something unique to send to your loved ones this Christmas? Book-binding is a therapeutic and creative process. You will be introduced to two binding techniques and you are very welcome to invent your own methods. Come along and create your very own masterpiece!
All high quality art and decorative materials are provided. Maximum 8 participants, so please book quickly to avoid disappointment.
Museum Christmas cards
Featuring a linocut ‘Wimbledon Village’ by local artist Sophie Lewisohn, the cards are available at £10 for a pack of 10 both in our museum and at the bar of the Wimbledon Village Club (open daily 11am-11pm, Sundays 12pm-10:30pm). They will also be available at the Wimbledon Society stand at King’s College School’s Christmas Fair on Saturday 25th November from 11am to 4pm. All proceeds will go towards the running of the museum.
If you would like to purchase an original limited edition linocut print of this image (24 x 32 cm, also available in midnight blue) or any of Sophie’s other images, she will donate 10% of the proceeds of any orders to the museum. Please visit www.sophielewisohnart.com and mention Wimbledon Society if you place an order. They make excellent Christmas presents!
Object of the month
‘Where’s your head at?’ is a collection of clay heads exploring the relationship between facial expression and mood. It has been created by students at Cricket Green School, a school for children aged 4-19 with special educational needs and disabilities in Mitcham. The works were devised in Shed 13, a purpose-built art studio at the school led by Artist in residence Harriet Crisp. The heads display a variety of expressions, some easier to discern than others.
We will remember them
The Norman Plastow gallery is currently hosting a Young Wimbledon Artists Exhibition in collaboration with the Royal British Legion Wimbledon, features paintings created by pupils aged from 7-11 years old attending local schools.
The show can be viewed on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from 2 to 5pm throughout November & December. Free entry, via Wimbledon Museum.
Wimbledon Station Stag
We are delighted that Isabelle Zhizhi Southwood has kindly donated the maquette of her stag sculpture in front of Wimbledon Station to the museum. In 2012 Isabelle responded to the open call from Merton Council to create a sculpture for the new station forecourt. At the time she was a sculpture student at The Slade School of Fine Art, and was inspired by the grand architectural stag on Stag Lodge as well as the history of the common. This maquette presented in her mother’s vintage Biba suitcase was her winning submission.
Visit us
School Visits
We currently offer two workshops for schools and home-schooled groups. We are developing more and may be able to offer a bespoke session or run an outreach session.
Activities and Outreach
Our activities and outreach programme for the academic year 2023-24 is supported by the Wimbledon Foundation and the Wimbledon Park Community Trust.
We have self-guided activities for children and families at the museum, and special workshops during school holidays.
For more information
Group Visits
We can arrange special visits for groups of up to twenty people on Fridays.
We can also host evening visits by special arrangement with the Village Hall Trust. A drinks reception can be held in the adjacent Lingfield Room and guests can visit the museum (maximum 20 in the museum at any one time).
For more information
BBC Culture ‘Seven hyperlocal histories revealed’ by Daisy Woodward
The museum is featured in this fascinating article exploring hyperlocal histories and how local museums help communities understand their neighbourhoods’ stories.
Our Collections
Our treasured collections relate to life in Wimbledon from about 500,000 years ago right up to the present.
Outside opening hours and by appointment, we are very happy to welcome members of the public who wish to consult our collections for research, have questions about the history of Wimbledon, would like to bring in items for identification or wish to offer items for the Collections.
To arrange an appointment or make an enquiry, please email: museumcollections@wimbledonsociety.org.uk
Please do not bring prospective donations to the Museum without making an appointment.
Stories
A Wimbledon Museum for the 21st Century. We welcome visitors to come and experience our refurbishment and brand new displays. Opening hours are every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 to 5pm. Free entry.
Donate
Wimbledon Museum, which has free entry, is run entirely by volunteers.
If you would like to support, please click below.
Shop
Choose from a wide selection of publications cataloguing Wimbledon’s rich and vibrant history via our online shop.
A selection of our books are also sold by Wimbledon Books and The Tennis Gallery
