Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Summer is heralded by many different things, but you know that despite the weather that when the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships starts that summer is well and truly here. The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is located within the heart of Centre Court and follows the history of the game from its beginnings in the 1870’s to modern day power plays that are seen at the height of the annual tournament played out here in an effort to win the coveted championship trophies, the originals of which can be viewed as part of the tour.
A Game with a Past
Despite many people believing that tennis is a relatively modern game the museum has a range of tennis memorabilia that can be dated back to as early as 1555, proving that the game has a respectable heritage. Visitors to the museum will be able to watch films of the greatest players in action out on the courts and take part in a behind the scenes, exclusive tour of the Wimbledon grounds, including the iconic Centre Court, Court No 1, the exclusive room where the press carry out their interviews with the star players and of course where you can find the statue of tennis legend Fred Perry. As part of the attractions of the museum CentreCourt360 offers an amazing panoramic view of the heart of the complex of courts that make up the Wimbledon Arena, as well as two fully interactive rooms in which visitors can experience the sights and sounds of the area in full flow.
Restricted Opening
The museum and the viewing platforms are regularly open to the public, but when the Wimbledon Championships are in full swing and during the run up period to the start of the championships admittance is restricted to those with tickets to attend championship matches. If tennis is your sport of choice you will find much more at Wimbledon than just tennis balls and strawberries and cream. Amongst the items on display are articles donated by Venus and Serena Williams as well as Roger Federer. Federer donated his winning kit and racquet to the collection after claiming his incredible record breaking fifteenth Grand Slam tournament title in the 2009 men’s final that was played out on Centre Court.
Museum Information
The museum is open between 10am and 5pm daily and apart from the attractions within the museum, visitors will discover that the famous Winter Gardens and Picnic Terraces offer some incredible views across London. The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum was reopened after extensive refurbishment in 2006 which cost five million pounds to complete. Visitors will be able to experience state of the art interactive touch screen technology set alongside both ancient and contemporary tennis memorabilia whilst learning all that there is to know about the history and development of the Wimbledon Championships. The 2012 London Olympics will see the arenas playing host to a number of events which are sure to attract many more visitors through its doors, to experience the atmosphere of Centre Court as well as enjoy the café and gift shop facilities on site.
