The earliest buildings in Wimbledon may have been a Bronze Age village (c. 1150-750 BC) on Wimbledon Common. After this comes the so-called Caesar’s Camp, which was a circular Iron Age hill fort. (c.100BC to 43AD) Wimbledon Village lies on the south-east corner of the huge common and originally was an isolated settlement in the Middle Age. Also, several good houses of the 17th centaury still survive as well as the village character of the High street.

Most of Wimbledon however is 19th century and later, including all types of buildings from late classical villas (drives and shrubberies) to detached Arts & Crafts or neo-Georgian houses of the later 19th and early 20th century.

The parish church of St. Mary is the earliest religious building, parts being late Middle Ages, with extensive rebuilding in Victorian times. It has stained glass made by the firm of William Morris. Other churches are Victorian or Edwardian. The most recent is the Thai Buddhist Temple c.1978-82.

Of public buildings the earliest is William Wilberforce School, built 1758-61 as a charity school for 50 poor children. Other schools are mainly Victorian, as is the All English Tennis Club. To represent 20th Century public architecture are the Town Hall of 1931 and, state-of-art for the time, South Wimbledon station.

By: Natalie Pollard (Community Correspondent)