The Wimbledon Queue – A New Museum Exhibition

Wimbledon Tennis Championships Have a Queueing Code of Conduct:

1934 Wimbledon Queue - Courtesy VisitBritain

With so many new talents each year, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships has never been more exciting. This Grand Slam tournament is an event that is keenly followed by millions around the world and every year, for more than a century, Wimbledon has attracted more spectators than the grounds can hold.

In 1927 queues started outside the ground at 5 a.m. and more than 2,000 people were turned away. In 1991, when heavy rain caused the game to be delayed to the middle Sunday for the very first time, the queue stretched for 2.4 km (1.5 miles) outside the grounds.    So popular is Wimbledon Tennis that a ‘Code of Conduct’ applies to the queue, which is kept in check by the Honorary Stewards. The code includes a non-reservation policy, where people queueing must be present in person and may not place equipment to hold their places.

Wimbledon Museum Exhibition

With the ever increasing numbers of would-be Wimbledon spectators, the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum’s latest exhibition, The Queue, explores the traditions and history of the Wimbledon queue and offering visitors an interesting insight into the very British queueing experience.

The latest exhibition includes tips for potential Wimbledon queuers and a display of objects collected from queueing over the years. Other highlights in the museum include the 3-D ‘ghost’ of John McEnroe, the Championship Trophies, the new 200° Wimbledon Cinema which immerses viewers into the science of tennis and CentreCourt360, the new viewing experience in Centre Court.

Behind-the-scenes tours of the Wimbledon ground are available for groups and individuals. The one-hour tours are led by Blue Badge guides and include views of London from the top of the Aorangi Terrace (known as Henman Hill or Murray Mount), No 1 Court, the Millennium Building with the players’ gym and Japanese Zen garden as well as the main press interview room and the BBC TV Studio.

The Wimbledon Museum is open daily all year 10:00 – 17:00 (closed 9–26 June, 4–5 July, unless the tournament overruns, and 24–26 December and 1 January).

Museum admission is £11 (£9.25 in a group booking), children £6.75 (£5.25), concessions £9.50 (£7.75). Museum entrance with guided tour costs £20 (£16), children £12.50 (£11.25), concessions £17 (£13.75).

Websites: www.wimbledon.org
Website  : www.aeltc.com/museum (for online booking for groups of under 13)
Tel:  +44 20 8946 6131 for larger group bookings

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