Wimbledon: Strawberries, Cream and a Century of Tradition

For a fortnight each summer, a corner of south-west London becomes the politest place on earth. Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and the one most wrapped in ritual, from the grass underfoot to the strawberries in your hand. Here is what makes it so very special.

Where It All Began: Spencer Gore and 1877

The Championships were born from modest ambition. In the summer of 1877, the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, as it was then known, staged a tennis tournament on its grounds at Worple Road in Wimbledon, partly as a means of raising funds to repair a broken pony-roller. Twenty-two gentlemen entered. The winner was Spencer Gore, a rackets player who despatched his opponents with a style described at the time as somewhat unorthodox. The prize was a silver challenge cup and twelve guineas. A few hundred spectators watched.

From those unhurried beginnings grew the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Within a few years, Ladies’ Singles had been added, doubles events followed, and what had begun as an afternoon’s diversion became the centrepiece of the British sporting summer.

The Move to Church Road

By the early twentieth century, Wimbledon had long since outgrown Worple Road. The lawns were cramped, the crowds were swelling, and it was plain that something grander was required. In 1922, the Championships moved to their present home on Church Road, SW19, a site purpose-built for the occasion. Centre Court was constructed to hold fourteen thousand spectators; No. 1 Court sat alongside it. The famous ivy-clad façade, the arched entrances, and the intimacy of the grounds gave the new venue an air of quiet grandeur that has never quite left it. A century later, the essential character of the place remains the same, even as retractable roofs and modern facilities have been added with characteristic understatement.

The All England Club

It is worth distinguishing between the Championships (the tournament) and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the private members’ club that owns and stages them. The club has approximately five hundred full members, elected by the committee on criteria that have never been made entirely transparent, and a further group of temporary members, many of them former champions. The club governs Wimbledon in the full sense of the word: it sets the rules, tends the courts, appoints the referee, and determines everything from the colour of the signage to the permitted varieties of strawberry. Prize money, scheduling, broadcast rights, and on-court supervision all flow from Church Road. The Championships are, in the truest sense, a private tournament that the world has been graciously permitted to attend.

The Last of the Grass

Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam played on grass, the surface on which lawn tennis was invented. That distinction matters more than it might seem. The courts are prepared with an attention to detail that borders on the reverential: the grass is maintained at eight millimetres in height, cut every day the weather allows, and overseen by a groundskeeping team that starts work in the autumn for the following July. The result is a fast, low-bouncing surface that rewards serve-and-volley aggression, creates unpredictable skids, and looks, on a bright summer afternoon, quite unlike anything else in sport. The all-white dress code for players, enforced in its modern, rigorous form since 1963, only intensifies the effect: figures in white moving across green, under a blue sky, with purple-and-green bunting all around.

The dress code is applied with precision. Players must wear “almost entirely white” (the guidance runs to several paragraphs), and trim, piping, and underlayers are all scrutinised. The rule has occasionally caused controversy, but its defenders argue that it is precisely the kind of detail that makes Wimbledon what it is.

Strawberries, Cream and the British Summer

No tradition at Wimbledon is more immediately recognisable than strawberries and cream, consumed by the bowlful across the fortnight at a rate that has become a statistic of its own. The Championships get through approximately 28,000 kilograms of strawberries each year, served with 7,000 litres of cream. Prices have risen over the years (a portion of five strawberries with cream now costs in the region of £2.50), but few begrudge the expense when the setting is a sunny afternoon on the hill above Centre Court.

The strawberries themselves are no afterthought. Wimbledon works with a dedicated British supplier to source fruit grown specifically for the tournament, prized for its firm texture and reliable sweetness. The berries travel from farm to ground within 48 hours of picking, a logistical operation as carefully managed as anything on court. Cream, added at the point of serving, comes fresh and unwhipped. The combination is simplicity itself, which is, of course, exactly the point.

The Queue

The Wimbledon Queue is an institution as cherished as the tournament itself. Each morning of the Championships, thousands of spectators line up (overnight, in many cases) for the chance to purchase tickets for Centre Court, No. 1 Court, or the show courts on the day. The queue runs along Church Road and into Wimbledon Park, and at its peak stretches for several miles. Tents, folding chairs, and the particular camaraderie of shared discomfort make it a social event in its own right.

The organisers take the Queue seriously. Those who join receive a Wimbledon Queue card, a numbered slip that entitles the holder to their place and prevents queue-jumping. Stewarding begins well before dawn. The ethos is one of cheerful orderliness, and the Queue has its own unofficial culture: regular queuers share tips, friendships are formed, and the wait is considered, by those who do it, to be very much part of the experience. Camping the night before a late-round match on Centre Court remains one of the more romantic things a tennis fan can do.

The Royal Box

No seat at Wimbledon carries more mystique than the Royal Box on Centre Court. Positioned at the heart of the Members’ Enclosure, it holds approximately 74 guests, invited by the Chairman of the All England Club across the fortnight. The guest list blends members of the royal family with politicians, diplomats, artists, and former champions, a social register for the sporting summer.

For much of its history, the Royal Box operated under strict etiquette: when a member of the royal family took their seat, all those present were expected to stand. The rule was quietly relaxed in 2003, a practical concession to the disruption repeated royal arrivals caused to the tennis, and guests now stand only at the beginning and end of play. Mobile phones remain prohibited within the box, and the dress code is formal. The King and Queen have been regular attendees; the Princess of Wales, in her role as Patron of the All England Club, is among the most eagerly watched arrivals each year.

Memorable royal moments have accumulated across the decades: the Queen’s attendance at the 2010 Championships, her first in 33 years, and the delight that greeted Andy Murray’s historic victories, watched from the Royal Box with visible emotion.

British Players and the Weight of History

For much of the twentieth century, Fred Perry was the standard against which all British tennis was measured. Perry won Wimbledon three consecutive times (1934, 1935, 1936) and remained the last British man to do so for 77 years. His statue at the Church Road entrance is a reminder both of what was achieved and of how long the wait for a successor lasted.

Virginia Wade ended one such wait in 1977, winning the Ladies’ Singles in Wimbledon’s centenary year, with the Queen in attendance. It remains one of the most celebrated moments in British sporting history.

Andy Murray broke the male drought in 2013, lifting the trophy to scenes of extraordinary public celebration, and retained it in 2016. His victories changed the national conversation about British tennis and gave Wimbledon a new chapter in its very long story.

Planning Your Visit

Attending Wimbledon rewards forethought. Tickets for show courts are allocated through the public ballot, which opens each autumn via the official website. Applying early and understanding the ballot terms is essential. On the day, the Queue remains the alternative route to Centre Court and No. 1 Court tickets, while grounds passes admit visitors to the outer courts without queuing overnight.

Getting there is straightforward: the District line to Southfields, followed by a short walk, is the standard approach; the Wimbledon station (National Rail and District line) also serves the grounds. Driving is not encouraged. Food beyond strawberries and cream is plentiful; the grounds have multiple restaurants, cafés, and food stalls, though the queues for all of them can rival the Queue itself. Dress modestly and practically: the grounds are outdoors, the British summer is variable, and the walk between courts is longer than it appears on the map.

A Fortnight Like No Other

What Wimbledon offers, ultimately, is the rare pleasure of tradition that has earned its place. The grass, the whites, the strawberries, the Queue, the hush of a rally on Centre Court: none of it is accidental, and none of it has survived this long by coincidence. It endures because it is genuinely lovely, and because a sporting occasion that can make a rain delay feel like part of the charm has understood something important about what people actually want from a summer afternoon.

Dates, ticketing (including the public ballot and the Queue) and on-site arrangements vary year to year. Check the official Wimbledon website before planning a visit.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When did Wimbledon begin?

The first Championships were held in 1877 at the All England Club’s original ground on Worple Road, Wimbledon. Spencer Gore won the inaugural Gentlemen’s Singles.

Why are strawberries and cream associated with Wimbledon?

The tradition dates back to the earliest Championships, when strawberries were in season during the late-June fortnight and the combination of fruit and cream was a fashionable summer refreshment. Today, approximately 28,000 kg of strawberries are consumed across the tournament each year.

What is the all-white dress code at Wimbledon?

Players are required to wear “almost entirely white” clothing on court, a rule enforced in its modern form since 1963. Trim and undergarments are subject to strict scrutiny; the code is one of the most debated, and most distinctive, aspects of the Championships.

What is the Wimbledon Queue?

The Queue is the overnight line of spectators waiting to purchase on-the-day tickets for Centre Court, No. 1 Court, and show courts. It runs along Church Road and into Wimbledon Park, and those who join receive an official Queue card guaranteeing their place.

Who sits in the Royal Box at Wimbledon?

The Royal Box holds approximately 74 guests, invited by the Chairman of the All England Club. It has historically hosted members of the royal family, heads of state, former champions, and distinguished guests. The Princess of Wales is Patron of the All England Club and among its most prominent attendees.

How do you get tickets for Wimbledon?

Show court tickets are available through the public ballot, which opens each autumn on the official Wimbledon website. On-the-day tickets for show courts are also sold to those who queue overnight. Grounds passes, which give access to the outer courts, are available without an overnight queue.

Has a British player ever won Wimbledon in the modern era?

Yes. Virginia Wade won the Ladies’ Singles in 1977, and Andy Murray won the Gentlemen’s Singles in 2013 and 2016, ending a 77-year wait for a British male champion.

What is the best way to get to Wimbledon?

Public transport is strongly recommended. The District line to Southfields is the most popular route, with a short walk to the grounds. Wimbledon station (National Rail and District line) is also convenient. Driving is discouraged during the Championships.