The district of Wimbledon has become synonymous with its world-famous
tennis tournament held here since 1922. This part of south-west London
has been inhabited since the Iron Age and has developed over the
centuries into two distinct parts: the 'village' and the 'town'. The
village developed first as it began to attract wealthy merchants from
the city but the arrival of the London & South West Railway in 1838 saw
the focus of subsequent developments shift away from the original
village towards the town, which is now the main retail centre.
Southfields, meanwhile, was still a largely an area of fields between
the villages of Wimbledon and Putney until the coming of the railway in
the late nineteenth century, connecting Wimbledon to Putney Bridge.
Using a selection of old and new photographs, local historians Simon
McNeill-Ritchie and Ron Elam trace the distinct journeys of these two
suburban districts over the past century, making this book essential
reading for anyone who knows and loves this famous part of south London.