What are Wimbledon's most desirable streets?
I asked local estate agents for the inside scoop on Wimbledon's property market
Good morning, Wimblers. How is everyone? Freezing? Same here. This week is a mixture of property and Christmas activities — who says we don’t keep you on your toes?
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You can expect your usual news snippets, a photo of the week that follows on from last week’s “e-bike issue” and a really fun selection of recommendations.
This week’s main feature is all about property in Wimbledon. I hit the streets of SW19 this week to ask estate agents three quickfire questions about the local market. Spoiler alert: If you live on South Park Road, you might just be living on Wimbledon’s most desirable street.
Keep sending me feedback, ideas, conversation starters and your photos of the week: zak@thewimble.com. Other than that, happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
☃️ Wimbledon Winterfest is back! This Saturday, head down to Queen’s Road for a day of festive fun. We’re talking the whole shebang: Riverside Radio broadcasting live music from the stage, an ice-carving performance, children’s rides, an appearance from Father Christmas himself, street performers, Urban Food Fest and fireworks from the Quarter’s roof at 5:00 PM. The ice skating tickets are already selling quite fast, so make sure to book your spot here.
💷 Last chance to have you say about how Merton Council will spend £15m on local infrastructure. Click to choose from a number of options including — but not limited to — improvements to high streets and town centres, projects to celebrate local heritage and improvements to parks and local spaces.
🚝 We’ve had continued disruption at Wimbledon Station this week. On Tuesday, another signal failure caused a decrease in service on the District Line between Earl’s Court and Wimbledon. The impeded service comes less than a week after another signalling fault at Wimbledon caused major disruptions for those travelling to Waterloo.
🍔 Gourmet Burger Kitchen brings its new breakfast menu to Wimbledon. The famous burger chain has expanded its menu to include breakfasts, brunches and quick bites. Check out some of the new dishes and prices here.
🇺🇸 Merton activists attended a climate justice march in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election. The march, which started at the British Museum and finished at 10 Downing Street, saw more than 60 groups taking part. Auriel Glanville, a member of Merton Friends of the Earth, said: “I am here because Donald Trump is a climate change denier and says that human-induced climate change is a hoax.” Read more about the march here.
Property of the week 🏡
Outrageous. That’s what this property is. Simply outrageous. This seven-bedroom period home is straight out of a 19th-century romance novel. The mini-manor (let’s stop calling it a house and call it what it is) features a gym, seven reception rooms, two garages, a utility room, a snooker room, a humongous garden and elevated views of Wimbledon Common. But all that doesn’t come cheap. At £14m, this is one of Wimbledon’s most expensive properties. Check out more info on Rightmove.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎨
🎨 Worple Art Group Autumn Exhibition: This is your chance to explore more than 200 fantastic paintings created by local artists. The group (which has been going since 1983) is made up of roughly 20 artists and has gone from strength to strength. The event is FREE — what have you got to lose?
Where: St Mark’s Church, SW19 7ND
When: Friday 22 November, 3:00 PM - 7: 00 PM / Saturday 23rd November, 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
🧥 Wimbledon Village Winter Coat Drive: Help vulnerable Londoners keep warm this Christmas. It’s the season of giving, and this year Calling London is inviting local residents to donate their old winter coats to give to those in need. This Friday is your last chance to donate. The drop-off points can be found here.
Where: various locations.
When: Thursday 21 November and Friday 22 November
🎄 Wimbledon Christmas Market on The Piazza: This is your chance to really get into the festive spirit. This market has it all: gifts, fairy lights, the smell of roasted chestnuts, delicious food, mulled wine (essential) and much more. The market will be open every weekend until 22 of December. See you there!
Where: Wimbledon Piazza
When: Every weekend until December 22, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
🍷 Bordeaux Bound: A Guided Masterclass at Amathus: It might be Beaujolais Nouveau day today, but for Amathus it’s all about Bordeaux. Head to the village this evening to try some traditional wines: red from St Emilion and Margaux, white Graves and a dessert wine from Sauternes — which, if you haven’t tried before, is absolutely fantastic. Tickets are £50.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Thursday 21 November, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
🪴 The Living Treasures of RHS Garden Wisley: Spend an evening with the former curator of RHS Wisley, Matthew Pottage. Matthew will be giving SW19’s budding horticulturalists the inside scoop: tales of unusual plants and stories about the garden from someone who knows it like the back of his hand. Tickets are £15.
Where: Hotel Du Vin, Cannizaro House
When: Monday 25 November, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Location, location, location: Here’s your inside scoop on the property market in Wimbledon 🏘
This week, I ventured out onto the cold streets of SW19 in search of answers. I wanted to know what the property market in Wimbledon is really like — and what better way to find out than by asking the experts? I visited seven different estate agents and asked them the same three questions: Which road is the most sought after in Wimbledon? What is the cheapest and most expensive property you’ve listed? And, do you think that property prices will increase in Wimbledon next year? Note: today’s feature is only about buying and selling properties — we’ll run another edition with a rental angle.
Ellisons Estate Agent, 13 Queen’s Road — Mark and Sam
Most desirable road:
It’s going to have be King’s Road if we’re talking about the Wimbledon Town area.
Your price range:
We’ve had studios starting from £250,000 all the way to houses for £4m plus.
Property prices next year:
They’ll steadily increase. Not massively, but they’ll go up. That’s just the nature of the market.
Eddison White, 85 The Broadway — Kevin
Most desirable road:
South Park Road is really popular, but we’ve also seen The Poets area and The Battles area really pick up.
Your price range:
A studio might start at around £230,000. Then a small one-bedroom flat will get up to £450,000 and a two-bed can start there and reach £1m. Your average price for the houses — not including the Village — are about £1.3-1.5m.
Property prices next year:
I think the overspill from the Northern Line — people moving from expensive areas like Clapham and Balham — will keep pushing prices up. We have just had our best trading year in 20 years, so I think the property market is doing well. Of course, we might see a slowdown because of the budget, but I think over time the prices will steadily increase.
Hawes & Co, 91 The Broadway — John and Marcus
Most desirable road:
Probably Dudley Road or South Park Road. Oh, and Somerset Road as well.
Your price range:
£250,000 - £3m.
Property prices next year:
There’s a possibility of a gradual uplift, but it’s hard to predict. Stamp duty will affect first-time buyers for sure, so that might slow the market.
Winkworth, 44 Wimbledon Hill Road — Stephen
Most desirable road:
Anywhere around South Park Gardens.
Your price range:
Starting at around £300,000 to £3m for a house. But we’ve got properties for £10m too. Areas like The Poets are relatively affordable whereas the Village is always going to be expensive.
Property prices next year:
I don’t think we’re expecting massive changes.
Fuller Gilbert, 95 High Street Wimbledon — Dominic
Most desirable road:
It has to be just anywhere in the Village. The Village is alway the most desirable location.
Your price range:
£500,000 to £10m.
Property prices next year:
It’s very hard to say. I think it will be very interesting come next spring. I also don’t think the stamp duty will affect Wimbledon as much because there are less first-time buyers in the Village.
John D Wood, 5 Church Road — Xander
Most desirable road:
Oh, tough question. I’d probably go with Highbury Road or Vineyard Hill.
Your price range:
About £400,000 to £4.5m.
Property prices next year:
I think we’ll see an increase because of the changing rates. The new budget will definitely slow things down but there should still be an increase come next spring.
Robert Holmes, 35 High Street — James
Most desirable road:
It’s all about preference. I’d probably say Parkside.
Your price range:
Anywhere from £350,000 to £15.5m.
Property prices next year:
I think they’ll stay the same, though it’s hard to foresee. We’ll definitely see people being pushed out of London with the change in rates and prices.
Who should we interview next? Let me know: zak@thewimble.com.
Photo of the week 📸
Following on from last week’s photo of carelessly parked e-bikes, Sally Gibbons has been in touch again with another picture. In her email to me, Sally wrote: “I was going to write and express my surprise at the lack of feedback on e-bikes, following your publication of my picture last week. Then, this morning I came home from shopping and - lo and behold! 5 bikes in the parking bay! See pic attached. (There were also 4 bikes in a second bay lower down the Hill.) I'm impressed at the level of influence which The Wimble obviously carries locally.”
Sally also wanted me to pass on her gratitude to the riders who parked their e-bikes with care.
Thank you again to Sally for sending the picture. I also want to thank the readers who got in touch with me to express their feelings about e-bikes. It seems a fair few of you agreed with Sally’s previous sentiments.
This just shows how important audience engagement is for us at The Wimble. Without your readership, feedback and input, none of this would be possible. Please keep sending ideas and thoughts my way: zak@thewimble.com
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked you which famous screenwriter — creator and showrunner of Netflix’s The Crown — hails from Wimbledon. The answer: Peter Morgan
Q: How many square feet is the ice rink in Wimbledon Quarter?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading! Get in touch with any ideas, feedback, stories or questions. Have a great rest of your week and see you next time. Oh, and remember to wrap up warm until this frosty weather thaws.
Thanks Zak. The Wimble has clearly become a moving force in this community. Keep up the good work! Sally