How do you get 100,000 litres of water off your football pitch?
AFC Wimbledon suddenly had a massive sinkhole where they were supposed to be playing. We speak to the man who stepped up to fix it.
Hello, Wimblers — I hope that everyone is having a pleasant Thursday morning! Thank you to those who have sent me emails this past week — you have no idea how incredible it is to interact with each and every one of you. Please keep sharing so we can reach as many people as possible. The Wimble’s leaderboards are changing by the day, with reader Ann Roberts currently in 1st place — get referring to climb the table and win a variety of rewards.
It’s been quite the week in Wimbledon. We’ve had news about the AELTC’s plans for expansion. We’ve read stories about industrial depots being turned into flats on Weir Road. We’ve also seen a sinkhole decimate Wimbledon AFC’s pitch — more on that below.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This week you can expect your local news snippets, a stunning property of the week and a full list of recommendations including concerts, writing courses and even a guided tour. We’ve also got an exclusive statement further down from Graham Stacey, the man behind the JustGiving page raising funds to combat the disaster at Wimbledon AFC’s grounds (they’ve already raised over £110,000!).
Our interview this week is with Neil Norton, a Wimbledon-based designer of bespoke kitchens and furniture. I don’t think I can do his designs justice here, so scroll down to read about the incredible work from the man himself.
Please keep sending in your photos of the week and do reach out if you think your home could work in our upcoming At Home With section.
Think that’s all for now.
Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🎾 AELTC looks set to build 39 new grass courts on Wimbledon Park’s former golf following the GLA’s backing of the scheme. The plans will have to be confirmed by deputy mayor Jules Pipe at a public hearing on Friday, but campaigners are not going down without a fight. Former Coronation Street actress and local resident, Thelma Rugby, has threatened to chain herself to the grounds if the expansion goes ahead. The 99-year-old former star said this: “The club talks about planting new trees, but can you imagine how long it would take for newly planted trees to give the benefits that we now get from mature trees?” Check out Save Wimbledon Park’s response here and read this in-depth piece by The Guardian.
🏚 Wimbledon’s Vantage House has become a national example of Britain’s housing crisis. On Sunday 22nd September, The Times published an investigative article on Vantage House, a former industrial staff depot on Weir Road, now home to a variety of families, some of whom were moved there “temporarily”. Conditions in the flats are reportedly “awful”, with one resident describing the building as being “like a prison”. Read more here.
⚽️ Wimbledon AFC’s pitch, Cherry Red Records Stadium, suffered massive damage after flooding. Heavy rains on Sunday evening left the stadium looking more like a golf course than a football pitch. The destruction has also meant that The Dons’ Carabao Cup game against Newcastle United has been moved to October 1st at the latter team’s St James’ Park. We’ve got an exclusive statement from Graham Stacey, the person behind the fundraiser to save the grounds, below.
Wimbledon AFC sinkhole: An exclusive statement from the man trying to save the pitch 🔵 🟡
After London experienced more than a month of rainfall in less than 24 hours, Wimbledon AFC’s pitch was left in ruins. Over 100,000 litres of water flooded the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Monday, forcing The Dons to postpone their game against Newcastle United. Graham Stacey — fan, season ticket holder and former board member of the Dons Trust — sprung into action after hearing the news of the severe flooding. In less than 48 hours, his JustGiving page received £108,000 and the money is still coming in. Here’s what he had to tell The Wimble about the incredible story. Donate here if you can!
“The Fundraiser started off as a WhatsApp chat between a few fans after we had seen pictures of the pitch at our ground. We wondered what we could do to help, beyond going down with a mop and bucket! So I set up a JustGiving page with a nominal target of £10,000, thinking that might be a bit ambitious. We then passed that within something like four hours. We went on to reach more than £21,000 by the end of the day and now aim to raise £100,000. This will all go to the club to spend as they see fit, whether that is on hiring in a few extra pumps to get the stadium dry faster, or towards the costs of hosting a game at another ground.
We have been delighted and amazed at how much support we have received. At Wimbledon, when we face adversity we rally around and tackle it head on. We’re fan-owned; there is no sugar daddy, that’s just what we do. A few years ago, when we didn’t have the money to complete our stadium, a group of fans came up with the Plough Lane Bond, and we raised £9.8m to get the ground completed. The stadium is so much more than home to a football team. As well as the men’s team we have a superb women’s side. Then there is Dons Local Action Group who, since 2020, have provided more than six million meals to those in need in and around the area (see The Wimble’s article about Dons here). And we have the AFC Wimbledon Foundation charity, putting on inclusive football sessions for all ages and abilities. So many people are invested in things here. But more than that, it has been incredible to see the fans of other clubs put aside our rivalries and rally around us in our time of need. We’ve had countless messages of support from the wider football community, and dozens of donations too. I like to think fans across the country have a soft spot for us, perhaps.
We had to reform in 2002 and earn our place back in the Football League again. Everyone can see we were wronged, and so many people have supported our journey since then. Even so, seeing the community of Wimbledon, and the wider football family, join together to raise more than £70,000 in a matter of hours, to help us get back to putting on games and events at our home, has been absolutely superlative and, well, life-affirming in many ways. And I can’t thank them enough.”
Please donate. It all helps!
Property of the week 🏡
This five-bedroom house, conveniently wedged between Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Common, is a thing of beauty. Just look at the interior design. It’s like something out of Captain Fantastic — has anyone seen that film (comment below if you have)? It’s understated, rustic and big enough to accommodate the whole family. Also, the garden has a sauna. Need I say more? The property comes in at a cool £1,000,000, which is a relatively decent price for Wimbledon, not that I could afford it. Check out more photos here.
The Wimbledon designer who turns homes into heavens: Meet Neil Norton🚪
Have you ever looked at a beautiful home and thought: Who on earth designed that? I have. That’s why this week I sat down with Neil Norton, a bespoke kitchen and furniture designer based in Wimbledon. Neil’s work is inspired by the wild nature of Ireland and Northern Ireland and galvanised by his background in the arts. But don’t take it from me, have a look at his website for yourself. Sitting down in his studio on Arthur Road, Neil and I spoke about art, trends, ideas and the way the world of interior design has changed.
Z: How did this start? How did you end up here on Arthur Road?
N: I’ve been in this spot for ten years. I used to work in restoration. I was very good at carpentry and when I was younger I had the choice between working for a cabinet maker or working at an art gallery. I chose the art gallery! But I’ve sort of come full circle, bringing together the skills of a toolmaker with the keen eye of an artist.
How long have you lived in Wimbledon?
I moved to Wimbledon a long time ago because my wife — girlfriend at the time — lived here. We’ve moved around Wimbledon for the past 20 years from studios to one-bedroom flats and bigger places as things progressed. Though I should say that I divide my time between here and my studio in Ireland.
Do you design the homes you live in?
All of them! I remember when I was renting our first one-bedroom flat. I walked into the property and it had loads of potential and I said to the landlord, “If you don’t take rent for three months I can invest that money into this flat and make it a better property.”
And did they say yes?
They did and I lived there for eight years [laughs].
Talk to me about the process of your work: How do you know what a home should look like?
Every project is a one-off. Every person is an individual with their own tastes and ideas — which can be a bit of a design challenge sometimes. We can do as much or as little as a person wants. Sometimes people will comes to us and they’ll have a vision and sometimes they’ll come to us without a clue. So it’s my job to ask questions and build an idea of style, finish, materials … what makes them tick. You’re building up a picture in your mind of what suits them as a person and you’re also looking at the house and thinking about what suits the property. It takes me 30 seconds to figure out a design for a property after I’ve walked through the front door.
Do you think that’s a skill you’ve learned or something you’ve always had?
I think it’s a gut instinct mixed in with lots of years of experience. There are always going to be trends that people follow. We work with trends but that’s not where it starts with me. I’ll go in with instinct and I find that the work I do is not always in trend yet. I prefer to work ahead of trends. I’ll design furniture that hasn’t become trendy and then in three or four years time it’s in vogue and I’ve moved on to something else.
When designing homes, especially in Wimbledon, are there noticeable trends that people are looking for?
You’ve got to be sympathetic to the style and authority that’s already there. If someone has a really nice Georgian-style home, for instance, then you want to preserve those features. That’s part of the process. Nature certainly plays a big part in our designs. I love working on outdoor kitchens or anything to do with nature. If you look at nature, there are no garish colours, no aspects that look off-key, so to speak. If you keep everything looking natural, then you’re on to a winner.
Do you get to know a client before you start designing?
It all depends on what stage someone is at in their life. You go to a property asking questions like: “Who’s the cook?” “Who’s going to use the kitchen the most?” “What type of food do you make?” “Do you have any pets?” “Where do your pets sleep?” Although most of our clients are through recommendations, we’ve had repeat clients. We’ve had clients who hired us for their first house and then when they met their partner, got married, got divorced, we worked for them again.
Do you think that Covid and flexible working has had an impact on how people view their homes?
People have definitely spent more time in their homes over the past few years. Our job is about making a person’s home really their home, not just a place to relax on the weekends and evenings — it’s also an office, a space to work, a space to socialise. You’re creating a space that sets the mood for a person’s entire day.
How many people are on your team?
There are 12 of us including the team at the factory. We’re small but we pack a big punch. Everyone has their job down to a tee and that’s why our attention to detail is as good as it is.
Check out Neil Norton’s Instagram for some lovely photos of his previous projects.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
🎶 St John’s Lunchtime Recital — head over to St John the Baptist Church this Friday for an afternoon of local upcoming classical musicians. These free concerts take place on the last Friday of every month. There will also be coffee and savoury treats to tide you over. This week it’s Naomi Wright (cello) and David Silkoff (piano) playing Beethoven’s 7 Variations Mozart’s Magic Flute, Debussy’s Cello Sonata, Schuman’s Fantasiestücke and Faure’s Elegie. There will be a retiring collection to support St John’s Music Fund.
Where: St John the Baptist, Spencer Hill, Wimbledon, SW19 4NZ
When: Friday 27th September, 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM
💥 Wimbledon’s Radical Walk — join local historian Peter Walker on an educational tour of Wimbledon. The tour will focus on the impressive work of local artist William Morris (1834-1896) and Wimbledon’s suffragettes who frequented Morris’s store. The tour costs £10 and all proceeds go to the Wandle Valley Partnership. Register via email at peter@vistaevents.co.uk
Where: William Morris House, 267 The Broadway, SW19 1SD (opposite the Polka Theatre)
When: Friday 27th September, 5:00PM (lasts approximately two hours)
✨ The Taylor Swift Cabaret — Tay-Tay comes to town (not literally, before any stans get the wrong idea). For the Swifties among us, Sad Girl Productions is back by popular demand, bringing you songs from every era of Taylor’s oeuvre. The Eras Tour might be over for the UK, but Swiftie-fever is still in full-swing. Tickets range from £27.70 - £116.34, which is still cheaper than Swift’s 02 tickets. Grab your tickets here.
Where: The New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Saturday 28th September, 7:30 PM
✍️ Writing Saturdays at Southside House — join author Juan Tafur and unlock your inner scribbler at this month’s writing workshop. The theme this Saturday is “Voices & Conversations” and the session will focus on “listening to the various voices that may best convey our stories”. Pricing is variable, but tickets are a minimum of £20 per person. Book your sport here.
Where: Southside House, 3-4 Woodhayes Road
When: Saturday 28th September, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
🧣 Sashiko Workshop: Breathe New Life into Old Garments — it’s time to learn the ancient art of Sashiko: a form of Japanese embroidery or stitching of old cloth and clothing. Wimbledon Guild is hosting the event. Attendees will have the chance to create their own Sashiko bag for life! Call 020 8946 0735 to book.
Where: Wimbledon Guild Lounge
When: Monday 30th September, 2:00 PM
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked you what the area known as “The Plains” served as during the First World War. The answer: It was home to one of ten Royal Flying Corps airfields built to protect London from airborne attacks.
Q: The Crown’s Princess Margaret was played by which Wimbledon actress?
You’re up to date 👋
Thanks for reading this week! I hope you’ve enjoyed the edition. If you have any questions, please drop me a line: zak@thewimble.com. Send in your photos of the week, shoot me any recommendations or leads and, most of all, have a great week. Oh, and do comment below — your interaction is so important!
When I copy the link for The Wimble into our street chat and various other platforms to get the word out there it doesn't look like an attractive local magazine - it features the headline story a little too much (Eg How do you get 100,000 litres of water off a football pitch etc) - this does not arouse people's interest. Needs to have a more attractive image and simple tag line to get people to understand what it is - no one reads it so I copy and paste the events etc into a sep message and they love hearing about those local events...
Really engrossing read this week, inspiring in terms of Wimbledon’s go fund me for the sink hole! Actresses threatening to chain themselves to railings, and the scandal of families living in offices! And as always a fascinating interview with a local person, I want to move back!