The first and most important rule when touring the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon, is never, ever touch the grass. The world’s home of lawn tennis takes the cultivation and protection of its famous grass courts very seriously.
And why wouldn’t they when the courts are home to the most famous tennis tournament in the world. The plain named Championships of Wimbledon attract 128 of the world’s top male and female tennis players each year and a worldwide audience of millions of fans.
To find out what makes Wimbledon tick, I’ve joined a guided 90-minute tour with a group of fellow tennis fans and Wimbledon guide Victoria Before we set off to explore the world’s most famous tennis centre, Victoria sets out the rules (number one being never, ever touch the grass) and fills us in on Wimbledon’s history.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was exclusively a croquet club until 1877 when tennis was added, originally as a fundraising activity. The tennis eventually outshone croquet and today the club, known worldwide by its location at Wimbledon near London, is the most revered tennis club on the planet.
The All England Club is a private members’ club and about as exclusive as you can get. There are just 590 members including 390 full members.
The entry process is rigid. Prospective members must be selected, proposed and seconded by existing members. The next step is an interview. If you pass muster at the interview you get to join the candidate list and, if you’re really lucky, become one of around 100 temporary members waiting for a vacancy on the full member list.
I know I’ll never get in so the guided tour with Victoria is the only way for me to gain behind the scenes access.
At Court 14, where we can literally watch the grass grow, Victoria explains the meticulous measures taken to cultivate and protect the legendary grass.
Each year new grass seed is sewn and allowed to grow to a length of 45mm before being mown and rolled to prepare courts.
To ensure nothing interferes with this grass, an electric fence is employed to keep wild foxes out. During playing season a guard with a mean dog patrols the complex.
Apart from reckless tourists or sneaky foxes stomping over their grass, Wimbledon’s groundskeepers most want to avoid pigeon poo. Pigeon poo is apparently very acidic and damages both the precious grass and wooden seating, not to mention being gross for Wimbledon’s fine patrons.
To keep pesky pigeons at bay, Wimbledon employs Rufus, a trained hawk whose job it is to scare the pigeons away from the stadium. Three laps by Rufus on his daily patrol is enough to make the pigeons think twice about any bombing of Centre Court. Three understudies are currently being trained to take over from Rufus when he retires.
As we continue on our tour, Victoria explains that Wimbledon organisers want the tournament to take place in an English garden party atmosphere. Court 19 is soon to be demolished to make more public space.
That Pimms-fueled garden party atmosphere is often centred on Wimbledon’s renowned hill where 3000 people at a time are able to picnic while watching the tennis action on giant TV screens.
Next up we visit the communications and media centre. From here coverage of the Championships is beamed around the world.
Nearby we find the media centre where players face the media pack for post-match press conferences. Tour guests are allowed to take moment to sit in the hot seat and imagine being in the world media spotlight. It is a real tour highlight.
On our way to Centre Court we pass the renowned turnstiles where thousands of people who didn’t score a ticket queue each day for their chance to get in. A lucky 6000 each day manage to get in via the famous Wimbledon queue. Victoria suggests that joining the Wimbledon queue is a great way to boost your social life.
Last up is a visit to the world’s most famous tennis court – Wimbledon Centre Court. A view from the grandstand is the closest we can go to the court. The tour wraps up here with a Q&A on anything guests would like to ask about Wimbledon.
The tour ticket also includes entry to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. Here you can get up close to the famous Wimbledon trophies and read the names of the past winners engraved on the silver. Championship winners receive a three-quarter sized replica of the trophy to keep with the original remaining here.
The museum provides a detailed history of tennis and the evolution of equipment and clothing. Many past champions have donated items to the collection making it a must see for tennis devotees.
To find out more and book a tour visit the website The Lawn Tennis Museum is open daily from 10am to 5.30 pm. Tours do not operate at scheduled times including during The Championships.