Wimbledon Tennis.

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Despite living within three miles of the All England Club for most of my youth I never took much interest in it. For me and my friends, tennis is what we played occasionally on the local council's hard courts in the park.
We always considered Wimbledon a bit elitist, patronised by the rich folk who lived on Wimbledon Hill and the surrounding area. Though "downtown" Wimbledon was alawys scruffy.

I subscribe to a local message board for Merton and the surrounding area, there's a lot of nostalgic photos of places I remember and comments from former residents.

This was published recently on this board. It's an aerial photograph from back in 1924, four years after this complex was opened.

Notice the number of big cars parked top left-hand and bottom right-hand corner. There's a big hospitality area in the foreground with perimeter marquees and dozens of umbrellas/tables.

So, elitist for nearly 100 years.

A friend at grammar school had parents who were quite well off. He was actually selected to act as a ball boy, for a couple of years, I and my friends asked him if he got paid for it, of course we weren't impressed when he said he didn't.

No tennis out our school, just rugby and cricket.


 
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In 1926 King George VI (Prince Albert, Duke of York) competed at Wimbledon.

 

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