The train draws to a halt with a sharp squeal, causing an elderly tennis fan in a panama hat to curse. ‘At least we made it though, darling,’ says his wife, patting his arm.
She has a point. It’s Friday lunchtime at Southfields Tube station, the one at which you alight for the Wimbledon Championships.
Over the past few days cancellations and delays have paralysed the District Line and left thousands of spectators struggling to reach the All England Club on time. Residents described the problems as the worst disruption for almost 30 years.
What must those travelling here from abroad think?
With the eyes of the world on this corner of south-west London, it has been pointed out to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the man responsible for the transport network, that it risks damaging the capital’s international reputation. Hyperbole, maybe, but it’s embarrassing if nothing else. Mateus Rodruiguez, a police officer from Sao Paulo, Brazil, says: ‘I was here yesterday and it was madness. It took me three hours to travel a few kilometres. Crazy! I could have crawled on my hands and knees quicker.’
Today, with failing signals finally mended, order has returned. The platform has been swamped most days, ten-deep at times, but its hanging baskets and benches swathed in Wimbledon colours of dark green are finally visible.
Outside the station, spectators are met with colourful ‘Welcome to Southfields’ banners.
Judging by all the meticulous preparation that goes on just a five-minute walk down the road at the All England Club, many will assume that this uncelebrated suburb is similarly polished to perfection. After all, around 15,000 people emerge from the station every day over the fortnight to walk its streets.
Locals are grumbling about overflowing rubbish, flytipping and, worse still, ‘eyesore’ shops that have been left empty, some for many years
‘It’s a lovely place to live and has a great community, village-type feel, but we’re being let down,’ says Terry Murray
The area from the Underground station to Wimbledon Park is not quite as up-market as the Club itself – with bins covered in stickers
‘What soon becomes apparent however is that Southfields – gateway to the championships – is looking, well, scruffy in parts,’ writes Gallagher
But what soon becomes apparent however is that Southfields – gateway to the championships – is looking, well, scruffy in parts.
Professionals and young families abound here, smart four-bedroom Edwardian terraced houses fetch more than £1.5 million, and there is no shortage of fancy cafes.
Yet locals are grumbling about overflowing rubbish, flytipping and, worse still, ‘eyesore’ shops that have been left empty, some for many years.
‘It’s such a shame because it drags the look of the place down,’ says Terry Murray, 61, who runs the The Village Butchers on Replingham Road. Next door, the long-abandoned Barclays Bank is dusty and strewn with fly posters.
‘See what I mean?’ asks Mr Murray. ‘People passing will see that and might not be minded to stop.
‘It’s depressing. It seems to have gone this way over the last five years or so.
‘It’s a lovely place to live and has a great community, village-type feel, but we’re being let down.’
Opposite, stands a boarded-up greengrocers that closed during the pandemic. A few doors along, a closed down Italian deli. It’s a familiar story. This little parade in Replingham Road reflects a wider malaise. There are many factors to blame, of course, including the rise of internet shopping.
Judging by all the meticulous preparation that goes on just a five-minute walk down the road at the All England Club, many would assume that this uncelebrated suburb is similarly polished to perfection, writes Gallagher
This little parade in Replingham Road reflects a wider malaise. There are many factors to blame, of course, including the rise of internet shopping
Around 15,000 people emerge from the station every day over the fortnight to walk its streets
Labour-run Wandsworth Council has so far been less than forthcoming with funds to spruce up the area of south-west London
But Mr Murray and others here believe that more could be done by the council to ‘spruce the place up a bit’ particularly during Wimbledon fortnight.
Labour-run Wandsworth Council has so far been less than forthcoming with funds.
Last month, however, it was offering small grants of up to £2,000 to support community organisations putting on activities for Refugee Week. It has been left to the All England Club, which already pays for Southfields’ Christmas Lights, to step in.
It gave a business forum money to cover a deserted Sainsbury’s store with a colourful vinyl mural highlighting local amenities and proclaiming: ‘Welcome to Southfields. Hosting the World Famous Tennis Championships.’
Elsewhere, a gigantic advertising hoarding with an ad from a Wimbledon sponsor conceals an unsightly building on Wimbledon Park Road which leads down to the All England Club.
It is reminiscent, albeit on a much smaller scale, of the 2008 Beijing Olympics when the Chinese authorities tidied up, covered over, or expunged with stormtrooper zeal anything presenting a negative image of the capital city.
Meanwhile, a 75-year-old woman who lives on the Southfields Grid – the ladder of streets that runs south off Replingham Road – is complaining about the unsightly overflowing rubbish outside Greggs. ‘It looks awful, doesn’t it?
‘And I try so hard to make my own front garden look nice. We compete in a best front garden competition run by the residents association.’
She explained: ‘There are some flats down my road where the Wimbledon ticket touts used to do their business. Now it’s a target for flytippers. When will it end?’
