Wimbledon Museum

The Wimbledon Museum sits in a quiet street at 22 Ridgway, Wimbledon, within the London Borough of Merton. It occupies a small building that has housed local history since 1916. The museum is run by The Wimbledon Society and relies entirely on volunteers. It opens only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Next door is the Norman Plastow Gallery, used for changing exhibitions of photographs and other material. The museum holds objects and records that tell the story of Wimbledon from earliest times. It recognises the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s role in shaping the area’s identity. The displays include memorabilia from the 19th-century Wimbledon Championships. Visitors can see how the suburb grew from a village into a London suburb. Inside, the main room displays maps, prints and artefacts that chart Wimbledon’s past. The Norman Plastow Gallery hosts temporary shows on themes such as local sport or wartime life. Outside, the street is lined with late-Victorian terraces and mature plane trees. The museum offers a calm space to explore Wimbledon’s history without crowds.