Wimbledon - More Than Tennis

The Fox & Grapes - A London Country Pub by Wimbledon Common. “One of the few pubs in London that's best reached by horse,”  and, “About as rural as you can get in Zone 3.”  [Londonist]

London pubs are more than a place for a pint — they're the key to a whole neighborhood. 

In this Love Letter to Pubs short from Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit, Expat Andy raises a glass to The Fox & Grapes, a Georgian country pub on the edge of Wimbledon Common that feels more English village than big city. 

Built in 1787 and one of the few London pubs best reached on horseback, it's the thread that ties together everything first- and second-time visitors miss when they come to Wimbledon only for the tennis: ancient woodland and heathland, a 200-year-old windmill, the football folklore of Wimbledon FC and AFC Wimbledon (the supporters' club born in this very pub), the Wombles, and the affluent, leafy charm of Wimbledon Village. 

If you love historic London pubs and want London travel tips, neighborhood guides, and London pub history that help you plan a smarter trip and see the real London, this is your London travel podcast. Perfect for travelers planning a first or second trip to London who'd rather find a great country pub and a quiet common than queue with the crowds. 

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Transcript

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Most visitors come to Wimbledon for one reason. Tennis. The championships began in 1877, and the All England Club is now one of the world's most famous sporting venues. If tennis is all you see, you miss Wimbledon's real charm. Most visitors think Wimbledon is just the tennis tournament. The tournament borrowed its name from a village that existed for centuries before the first serve was struck. Beyond the courts lie village streets, woodland paths, open heathland, horse riders, dog walkers, and traditional Sunday lunches. On the edge of the common the Fox and Grapes at Nine Camp Road, Wimbledon SW19 4UN feels more English village than London pub. A Georgian building beside the trees, walkers arriving from the heath, locals at the bar, dogs under tables, and the sense that somehow you've stepped out of the city without ever leaving it. Londonists says the Fox and Grapes is one of the few pubs in London that's best reached by horse. The approach to the fox and grapes is about as rural as you can get in Zone 3. The building dates to 1787 during the reign of George III and long before much of modern London took shape. The pub's name likely comes from Aesop's fable of the fox who cannot reach the grapes and dismisses them as sour, the origin of the phrase sour grapes. Pub signs have used the image for centuries, a small piece of moral philosophy hanging above the door. Wimbledon was first recorded around 950 AD as Wunamandun, generally interpreted as Winman's Hill in Old English. Nearby stands Caesar's Camp, an Iron Age hill fort dated from around the 3rd century BC. Wimbledon's history stretches far beyond tennis. Once known for its gardens, croquet, and tudor intrigue, the estate passed from the Archdiocese of Canterbury to Henry VIII in 1536, before moving repeatedly between the Crown and powerful courtiers. It returned to royal ownership in 1638 when Charles I acquired it for Queen Henrietta Maria. Modern Wimbledon began to take shape under John, 1st Earl Spencer, who inherited the estate from the Duchess of Marlborough. His influence attracted wealthy residents and merchants, helping transform what had been a small village into a fashionable suburb. The Spencer family employed capability Brown to redesign Wimbledon Park. Brown created a vast naturalistic landscape around the Duchess of Marlborough's Wimbledon Manor House, including the lake that remains one of the defining features of the Grade 2 star listed park today. Don't miss the chance to see the lake, one of London's largest stretches of open water, and stroll, a fine example of the work of one of Britain's most celebrated landscape designers. Brown transformed the grounds into a sweeping naturalistic park, replacing formal gardens with rolling lawns, carefully positioned woodland, and a broad lake designed to appear entirely natural. For travellers looking to balance museums, landmarks, and busy streets with a little fresh air, Wimbledon Park Lake offers an easy escape, and another reminder that London's story is as much about landscape as it is architecture. Wimbledon's distinctive blend of town and countryside remains evident in Wimbledon Common. The area was preserved for public use by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871 after local opposition defeated plans by the 5th Earl Spencer to enclose it. Today the common remains a haven for wildlife, including kestels, buzzards, and sparrow hawks. The common was once known for horse racing, bairknuckle boxing, and even dueling. One of the most notorious encounters took place in 1840 when the seventh Earl of Cardigan wounded a fellow officer in a dispute that began over improperly served wine. The common almost vanished in the 1860s when plans were announced to enclose and develop much of it. Public opposition led to an act of parliament in 1871 that protected it for future generations. The common is not the only reminder of Wimbledon's rural past. A short walk from the Fox and Grapes stands Wimbledon Windmill. Built in 1817, its white sails have overlooked the Heathland for more than two centuries. Built in 1817, the windmill now houses a museum dedicated to local history and milling. It serves as a reminder that this corner of London was once a work in agricultural landscape of farms, market gardens, and open countryside. Long before tennis spectators arrived carrying strawberries and sun hats, local families relied on the surrounding land for their livelihoods. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the area became fashionable among wealthy Londoners seeking cleaner air and a more rural setting. For a modern visitor, Sir Joseph Banks provides an unexpected link between Wimbledon and the wider world. The celebrated botanist, explorer, and president of the Royal Society helped shape Britain's scientific understanding of the wider world and became one of the most influential figures of the Georgian era. Banks moved in the same social and intellectual circles as many of the wealthy families connected to Wimbledon estates. While many of Wimbledon's grand 18th-century houses have disappeared, elements of the historic landscape remain. Walk through Wimbledon Village, across Wimbledon Common, or around Grade 2 star listed Canazara Park, and you're close to the kind of setting that attracted wealthy landowners, politicians, gardeners, and scientific minds of Georgian Britain. A reminder that behind today's quiet village atmosphere lies a history connected to scientific discovery, global trade, and the expanding British Empire. Allow time to explore Canazaro Park. The park grounds date to the 18th century when wealthy landowners transformed the hillside into a fashionable retreat on the edge of the capital. Visitors gain a glimpse into the world of Georgian and Victorian country estates. The old Portsmouth Road, a principal coaching route link in London with Surrey and the South Coast, skirted the edge of Wimbledon Common. Before the arrival of the railway, stagecoaches and travelers regularly passed through the Wimbledon village area on their way in and out of the capital. This lonely stretch of road by the common was prime hunting ground for the highwayman Jerry Abishore, who worked the Kingston to London Road from a gang base at the bald-faced stag at Putney Vale. Inns were an essential part of this world, providing food, shelter, stabling, fresh horses, and local knowledge for travelers on the road. The fox and grapes belongs to that long tradition. While the current building dates from 1787, the role it performs is much older, offering hospitality to visitors arriving from elsewhere, whether by horse, carriage, bicycle, train, or muddy walking boots from the common. Wimbledon also offers one of London's more unexpected sites. Nestled among residential streets is the Buddha Padibapa Temple, the first Thai Buddhist temple established in Britain. Completed in 1982, its richly decorated ordination hall combines traditional Thai architecture with a London setting, while murals inside the temple were painted by leading Thai artists. Surrounded by peaceful gardens and lakes, it provides a striking contrast to both the Georgian village and the ancient woodland of Wimbledon Common. Wimbledon Common is also the home of the Wombles. Elizabeth Beresfoot created the characters after a Box and Day Walk here in 1968, inspired when one of her children mispronounced Wimbledon as Wombledon. The litter collecting creatures became a national institution through books, BBC television, and hit songs embed in Wimbledon Common in British poplar culture. If you're American, you've probably never heard of the wombles. If you're British and over 40, you can likely still sing the theme tune. And for the record, yes, I can, since I raced home from school to ensure that I never missed an episode. My favorite womble was Madame Cholet, the kind-hearted yet short-tempered cook of the Wimbledon Borough, named after the town of Cholet in France. She affects a French accent, though she is actually no more French than any other Wimbledon womble. The Fox and Grapes is woven into one of English football's most remarkable stories. In 1889, a group of former pupils founded Wimbledon Old Centrals, playing on Wimbledon Common and using the pub as their headquarters and changing room. That club evolved into Wimbledon FC, moving to their plowlane ground in 1912, a team that defied the odds by beating Liverpool 1-0 in the 1988 FA Cup final, one of English football's greatest upsets. Wimbledon FC left Ploughlane in 1991, citing stadium safety requirements introduced after the Hillsborough disaster. They began ground sharing with Crystal Palace at Sellhurst Park. They said it was temporary. In 2002, the Football Association approved the relocation of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes, a town with no comparable Football League club, nearly 60 miles away. Once again, the story returned to the Fox and Grapes. Following the FA decision of 28th of May 2002, supporters met at the Fox and Grapes, the pub where the team used to change in 1889. They would build a new club from scratch, AFC Wimbledon. Beginning in the ninth tier, the supporter-owned club climbed back up to League One, returned to Plough Lane in a new stadium built on the site of the original. AFC Wimbledon carries a womble mascot to this day, Haydon, named with Elizabeth Beresford's own blessing. Getting to Wimbledon and the Fox and Grapes from central London is easy. Take the district underground line or overground train from Waterloo to Wimbledon. Then head towards Wimbledon Village and Camp Road. Several local bus routes connect Wimbledon station with Wimbledon Village and Camp Road. The 93 bus towards Putney Bridge is currently one option to get you close to the door of the Fox and Grapes. But as always, call ahead to check current scheduling. The Fox and Grapes matters because it brings together the layers of London that visitors rarely see in one place. History, community, countryside, and culture. A place where a pub can be a changing room, meeting hall, refuge, protest room, a dining room, and community memory bank. If tennis is part of your London imagination, go and see the All England Club. Walk the streets that fill every summer with spectators overpaying for strawberries, queues and white clothing. Point of note for my tennis fans, Wimbledon tennis is one of the last major sporting events where spectators can still line up for same-day tickets. It's called the Wimbledon queue. Now I'm not sure why it needed a name or even promoting. Ask a random Brit in a queue what they're actually queuing for, and likely they won't know. They saw a cue and something primordial just kicked in. A cue implies something worth queuing for, and it would be most un British like not to see what's going on. Outside the championships, Wimbledon is surprisingly quiet, so do what most visitors do not do once you've checked out the Lawn Tennis Association, keep going. Head towards Wimbledon Village, let the city soften, the streets quieten, houses grow larger, and trees begin to take over. Now I will concede to one pims along the way. After all, there is enough salad veg in it to meet your daily five requirement. If tennis is your thing, you don't necessarily have to visit during the annual crush of the late June through early July tournament. Wimbledon Tennis has a great museum, and the lawn tennis grounds can be toured. Wimbledon Village remains one of London's most affluent and village-like neighborhoods, with independent boutiques, cafes, and Georgian buildings clustered around the old village green. Have lunch at the Fox and Grapes before exploring Wimbledon Common, this rural miracle surprisingly close to central London. Here within a single afternoon you can move from world-famous tennis to ancient history, football folklore, and woodland paths, a site of London many visitors never discover. A reminder that the best travel stories often begin when you walk 20 minutes beyond the thing everyone came to see.com. Love our content? Love London and its pubs? The best thing you can do is share the love. 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