Wimbledon Common
Address
Ranger's Office, Manor Cottage, Windmill Rd, Wimbledon Common, London SW19 5NR
Phone
020 8788 7655Website
http://www.wpcc.org.ukAbout
Wimbledon and Putney Commons offer visitors 1,140 acres of calm and tranquillity.
Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, the Commons are a mosaic of woodland, scrubland, heathland and grassed recreation areas, along with 40 acres of playing fields, a golf course (believed to be the longest continually played course in England) and nine ponds.
The Commons are home to a wide variety of bird, animal and plant life. Being an unfenced area, it is open to the public 24 hours a day throughout the year.
Created by an Act of Parliament in 1871, a board of Conservators ensure that the Commons are kept “forever open and unenclosed” and preserved and protected for use for the purposes of exercise and recreation. The Commons were registered as a charity in 1972.
The most prominent feature of the Common is, of course, the Wimbledon Windmill. There may have been windmills on the Commons since before the 17th century but the current mill was constructed in 1817 by Charles March, a local carpenter. The Windmill museum is open at various times throughout the year. Please refer to the website for further information.