Description
Wimbledon Common is a wild stretch of heath, woods and ponds in southwest London: together with Putney Heath it covers 460 hectares, the largest expanse of heathland in London, with bog, mixed woodland and paths for long walks and rides.
Near the center stands the Wimbledon Windmill, built in 1817 and now a museum. Baden-Powell stayed in its Mill House in 1902 and wrote parts of "Scouting for Boys" there. Around the common lie the ponds of Kingsmere, Rushmere and Queensmere, and the common is an important home for stag beetles.
To the south, on the golf course but crossed by a public footpath, are the earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort, Caesar's Camp. The name dates only from the 19th century, although the Romans may indeed have stormed it.
The common survives thanks to a fight. In 1864 the lord of the manor, Earl Spencer, tried to enclose it for a park and building plots; local people won, and an act of 1871 protected it for the public for good.
Near the center stands the Wimbledon Windmill, built in 1817 and now a museum. Baden-Powell stayed in its Mill House in 1902 and wrote parts of "Scouting for Boys" there. Around the common lie the ponds of Kingsmere, Rushmere and Queensmere, and the common is an important home for stag beetles.
To the south, on the golf course but crossed by a public footpath, are the earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort, Caesar's Camp. The name dates only from the 19th century, although the Romans may indeed have stormed it.
The common survives thanks to a fight. In 1864 the lord of the manor, Earl Spencer, tried to enclose it for a park and building plots; local people won, and an act of 1871 protected it for the public for good.