If my dog could vote for a favourite London spot he would unhesitatingly make his mark next to Wimbledon Common on the ballot paper.
If he could speak he would cite the excellent woods that he enjoys trotting through and spraying liberal amounts of urine upon, the ponds that are good for swimming, though not always easy to get out of, and the cafe that makes an acceptable sausage sandwich as its main attractions. While I would go along with these reasons, I would add the lovely old windmill at its heart and the eccentric golf course that is laid out on the Common as further reasons for a visit. I’m not sure what Leo would make of the legendary Wombles if he were to meet any, but sadly none were in evidence on the day of our recent visit.
We have to thank our 19th century forebears for fighting off an attempt to enclose the common in the 1860’s by the then Earl Spencer (boo hiss!). Spencer planned to build upmarket housing in a private park, keeping the oiks out. There was a popular revolt against this plan and the government did the right thing denying the development and preserving the people’s right to the Common in law.
Earl Spencer – the rotter- also turfed the miller out of the windmill as part of his dastardly plot intending to pull the mill down and sadly, though the windmill, like the Common, was saved it never really worked again, it’s insides being made into living quarters and rented out. The windmill remains but these days is a museum.
The golf club also feels out of time. We didn’t see a single golfer on the course during our walk A friend of mine, who is a keen golfer, tells me that golf clubs are struggling to attract members these days. Middle aged men prefer to don the Lycra and head off on their pedal bike. The club house looked tired and the flag sagged on the pole outside. There were many dog walkers criss-crossing the Common and the car park was full. So too was the cafe although sad to say Leo was disappointed to find that they had run out of sausages.
