Wimbledon Park

 This is the 46th station out of 60 that I have visited on the District Line. I managed to photograph this one just before the stricter travel rules were implemented due to Covid. Now we are on complete lockdown I'm not sure when I will be able to visit another station! The station was opened by the District Railway in June 1889 on an extension line from Putney Bridge to Wimbledon. The extension was built by the London and South Western Railway. 

An island platform similar to the previous station. It is a long platform, possibly because it is within walking distance of the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon.

A number of steps take you to the small ticket hall and entrance. The station is supposed to be updated by 2022 to allow step free access. No sign of that happening yet.

You can see the date and the name of the railway on the brickwork above the station building. Electric trains began running in August 1905 but by 1941 main line services no longer stopped at Wimbledon Park. The line remained in British Rail ownership until April 1994 when it was transferred to London Underground. South Western trains still run through the station early in the morning but do not stop.

The station exits onto a small high Street with a number of small independent shops. As with many shops a number of them have changed use over the years but there are a few that have not changed their usage for over a hundred years.

Some of the shops have the original green tiled decorations surrounding the doorways.

This delicatessen/bakery looked particularly attractive with its bay windows surrounded by the green tiling.

 

Once the railway arrived then house building was undertaken at a very fast rate. It had a growing Catholic population but no local church. The area was looked after by the Jesuit priests from the Sacred Heart parish in Wimbledon. It was decided a more local one was needed. However restrictions were put upon its usage so that only one mass was allowed on a Sunday. Although a new church was started it was never completed. It was covered with  corrugated iron and known as the 'Tank'. It was 1926 before permission was granted by the Bishop for the present church to be built. It was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, better known for his design of Battersea Power station and the iconic red telephone box. The church was completed in 1928.

A short walk from the High Street is the Wimbledon Traincare depot where they service trains from the South Western Railway. It is one of the busiest in the country.

Looking back from the rail bridge, you can see the numerous lines going into the depot.

The lines were very busy when I was there.

 By the side of the road leading up to the rail bridge is this large pub. There has been a pub on this site long before it became a residential area. The present Woodman pub was built in 1898 before many of the surrounding streets were developed.  It closed in 2017 but reopened recently as part of the redevelopment of the site. When Wimbledon Park was developed for housing, the Temperance movement was very strong and all the properties contained covenants against running a public house on the premises.

 

On the other side of the railway lines is an industrial site. I think this is a cement making factory judging by the number of cement lorries leaving the area but I could be wrong. I liked the design of the building which is why I photographed it.

This is Wimbledon Park Mosque which was established in the late 19th century. The Mosque stands out with its white minarets and green domes. As with most mosques, prayers take place here five times a day.

It is a fine building and I took a number of photographs. I was aware I was being observed, not from the mosque but across the road.

Less than 100 metres from the Mosque is this church which I also photographed. 

The man who had been watching me couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and from a distance asked why I was photographing a mosque and then a church. In fact, I am surprised more people don't ask what I am doing. As briefly as I could, I explained my mission. I like to engage with local people but I am careful not to indulge in political or religious conversations other than very general remarks. The gentlemen was a Muslim from the Yemen but had lived in England for a number of years. He was well travelled and interested in ancient religions. We were chatting for ages but I still think he couldn't really understand why I would want to photograph buildings.

I would have liked to have seen the window from inside the church but sadly it was closed.

I walked back to have a look at the area at the other side of the station. The main feature of that area is a Grade II listed Historic Park: Wimbledon Park. During the 16th century this area was a deer park of nearly 400 acres. In 1765 earl Spencer commissioned Capability Brown to landscape his estate and many of the improvements are still visible. Launcelot (Capability) Brown (1716-83) is best known for landscape on a huge scale constructing not only gardens and parkland, but planting woods and building farms linked by carriage drives. His work is still worth visiting today more than two centuries later especially places like Stowe. He created approximately 260 landscapes of which 150 still remain true to his original planning. He was nicknamed 'Capability' because he would tell his clients that their property had 'capability' for improvement.

I entered the park onto this viewing area which had steps leading down and round to Brown's Lake

The lake is large enough for a number of water sports.

There are two different playgrounds for children as well as a number pf tennis, netball and basketball courts; football pitches, an athletics track and beach volleyball courts which I have never seen in a park before.

There is also a crazy golf course as well as an attractive 18 hole golf course, but as I mentioned in my previous post the golf course has now been purchased by Wimbledon Tennis Club.

I left the park and made my way home not realising it will probably be months before I can visit any more stations!