London Photo Gallery - Wimbledon

A southwestern suburb, Wimbledon is best known for its tennis championships, which started here in the 1870s. Well-connected by the railways and now at the end of a District Line branch, access is easy and I emerged from the Tube station onto The Broadway, which has a lot of shops.

The Town Hall was built in 1928-31 with Portlan stone and now bears a big chain supermarket sign on it.

New Wimbledon Theatre dates from 1910 and is easily recognizable with its red bricks, copper dome, and octagonal tower.

Elys opened as a tailor, outfitter, and drapery merchant in 1876 at the bottom of Wimbledon Hill, the town's first department store. 10 years later, he moved to a bigger location across the street, where it still stands now, albeit rebuilt into a larger store.

While we're used to seeing red post boxes around the city, I noticed a gold one just outside the department store. This type was made to celebrate Team GB's gold medals at the Olympics.

Beautiful buildings and lots of independent shops line the ascent up Wimbledon Hill Road.

The residential side streets are quiet with many grand homes that suggest a very wealthy stature.

Some are even lucky to score a good skyline view of the Battersea area with the Shard fully visible.

The Domesday book of 1086 already indicated a church had stood on today's St. Mary site. With rapid population growth and the arrival of the railway, the church building that we see today was built in the mid-19th century. With a strict budget of 4000 pounds, the old Georgian church was recycled as much as possible.

At the church's entrance, you can see the deer atop the Stag Lodge, a mid-19th century building.

Up at the top of the hill is High Street and the old village.

This drinking fountain from 1868 is built with Portland stone in the Gothic style with a stone spire.

Eagle House was built in 1613 by a founder of the East India Company and saved from demolition in the late 1880s by an architect.