WIMBLEDON PARK - The CAPABILITY BROWNS - A VISION FOR CAPABILITY BROWN'S WIMBLEDON PARK - The Capability Brown Society
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The CAPABILITY BROWN
SOCIETY
ʻCapability Brownʼs WimbledonParkʼ
19th Century Water Colour Circa 1870 by an Unknown Artist
WIMBLEDON PARK
A VISION
FOR CAPABILITY BROWN’S WIMBLEDON PARK
BY
THE CAPABILITY BROWN SOCIETY
March2021
INTRODUCTION
Launcelot "Capability" Brown designed Wimbledon
Park in the 18th century. Most of the land was lost to
urban development in the late 19th and early 20th
PROTECTED EDGE OF LAKE
centuries. The remnant open land, focusing on his WITH PUBLIC ACCESS
lake, is the only surviving Capability Brown landscape PUBLIC PARK
within an urban area and is in three different
AELTC SOUTHERN PARK WITH
ownerships; The London Borough of Merton, The All PUBLIC ACCESS
England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), and the AELTC/TWC NORTHERN PARK
Wimbledon Club. WITH CONTROLLED ACCESS
NEW AELTC TENNIS FACILITIES
This heritage landscape is now on Historic England’s WIMBLEDON
PUBLIC/PRIVATE
jump
track
WIMBLEDON
/long
‘At Risk Register’ and will be subject to significant
ing
runn
triple
CLUB
400m
e
8-lan
FUNCTION AREA
HOCKEY
PARK ARENA
18.0
change and development in the future as a result of
vault
pole
shot
a. AELTC’s ambitions to introduce more than 30 new
tennis courts for their Qualifying Rounds within the
parkland following the imminent closure of the
Wimbledon Park Golf Club requiring planning
approval and agreements,
b. The deteriorating condition of ageing and
inappropriate facilities in the public park, and
30
c. The need for works to prevent the dam holding PRINCIPAL
back the lake from failing. These works will affect the PUBLIC PATHS
KEY VIEWPOINTS
drainage of land around the western and southern
sides of the lake and the frequency of flooding by the NEW TREES IN
brook in the public park. PUBLIC PARK
EXTENDED LAKE TREES AND
WOODLAND
This synopsis, in seeking the widest possible
community support, summarises new opportunities FORMAL SPORT HUB
for private and community use with improved public 200
MIXED USE HUB
0
access combined with the conservation of the DE-CULVERT
HISTORIC LAKE
landscape. N EXTENSION
We believe this would make the wider Wimbledon
Park perhaps the most intensively used multi-purpose SUMMARY OF PROPOSED STRATEGY
park in London whilst also being respectful of nature FOR WIMBLEDON PARK
conservation and its heritage value.
1. Protection and restoration of historic 3. Protection, conservation and
views and openness enhancement of nature, woodland and
There are critical views of the landscape that require historic trees.
protection and restoration including views to the lake, to St The lakeside offers a rich and diverse natural landscape
Mary’s Church and Vineyard Hill. Historically the parkland that requires protection and enhancement with restored
had more open views to the lake which have been lost with wet woodland, wetland and marginal vegetation. There
inappropriate tree planting on the Golf course, around the are also important heritage woodlands, particularly Horse
stadium and around the Wimbledon Club. Buildings near Close and Ashen Grove Woods that require conservation
the lake also impair views. and a number of ancient parkland oaks, that must be
protected. The trees, wetlands and lake provide important
habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including bats, birds, fish,
2. Conservation of the historic lake within its invertebrates, and the European eel and this should be
enhanced, not harmed, in any developments.
drainage catchment
The lake should be restored to its historic southern
extremity. Safety requires works on the dam and outfall to 4. Removal, replacement and relocation of
ensure that there is no chance of the dam failing. inappropriately located facilities
Unfortunately, LB Merton’s preferred works would destroy
the core of the ancient Ashen Grove Wood and prevent the The unsightly 1970s sailing club with its storage yard and
restoration of the lost eastern arm of the lake. Further the sports dome and tennis shed at the Wimbledon Club
outfall might utilise an enhanced cascade with a modest are too prominent at the lakeside. The underused and
ancillary outfall once the sailing centre is moved. The neglected sports stadium with its linear coniferous tree
tributary brooks and Wimbledon Park Brook might be screen planting dominates the public park. Any athletics
opened out and configured to ameliorate flooding. Silt provision should be redesigned to fit much better into the
traps are needed on the tributaries and all new landscape. The Wimbledon Club and Golf Club
development and land management should attenuate maintenance facilities are also too close to the lakeside.
runoff. Sediment needs removing from the lake bed, but
not in a way that destroys Capability Brown’s design.
5. Finding the least intrusive place for the 7. Improved public access
extra tennis facilities Public access around the lake is proposed within a
The Wimbledon Club’s land, fronting the AELTC, provides protected landscape setting that enhances the lakeside
the best location available for new tennis facilities for the landscape character. New public pedestrian access is
AELTC without any loss of heritage trees. The Club’s proposed to the lakeside from Church Road and Home
relocation, and continued land ownership, should Park Road to the south which improves direct access from
therefore be carefully considered in reshaping the wider Wimbledon Village. A new accessible public parkland area
parkland landscape and enhancing the lakeside setting. is also suggested at the south of the lake where an
alternative, or additional, lakeside access for the
tournament queue is possible with space to service it, well
separated from the main public park. Better access
6. Promotion of a wide range of public and includes providing new paths within the public park that
private recreational, sporting and acknowledge desire lines, but also reducing the amount of
educational facilities vehicle parking which is considered unsightly. Controlled
and limited vehicle access would be provided for vehicles
A wide range of new facilities is proposed. servicing and using the new stadium complex. There is
a. The Wimbledon Park Arena is a proposal for a state of also scope to enhance the public views to the park from
the art new sports stadium which would combine formal Home Park Road with new fencing, paving and tree
sport with educational, function and new recreational planting in and beyond the park boundary so that this road
facilities extending into a dog free levelled and drained was better integrated with the valley’s parkland character.
“Bowl” area to the north. This northern area would be open
to informal public access for the majority of the time when
formal sport is not in operation and might also host 8. Options for public/private partnerships for
concerts, a fairground or simply be used for picnicking. An
eight lane athletics track would bound a slightly sunken all facility management
weather hockey pitch which would also be available for The relocation for the Wimbledon Club facilities to adjoin
multi-sports use for adults and juniors. The stadium would a new public park stadium offers the potential for joint
have flexible function facilities, classrooms, an management and administration as a unified hub. There
underground sports hall, gym, changing, catering facilities are also options for some of the new AELTC tennis
and grandstand. An option exists to locate athletics facilities to be made available for use by the Wimbledon
throwing events, not in the Bowl, but at a distance on Club so that a plethora of tennis facilities are consolidated.
AELTC levelled land. Hiring of the Golf clubhouse for community events may
b. Within the Public park occasional football and cricket also be combined with private AELTC use.
pitches would be created within compartments of new tree
planting clumps and informal landscape in the Brownian
tradition, and new flexibly used public gardens would be 9. Enhanced landscape ambiance with
created next to the existing Bowls pavilion. The Bowls consistent standards for public and private
pavilion might also be converted and enlarged to provide facilities.
upper level views of the lake and have an educational role
on the park’s heritage and natural history as well as Throughout the parkland there should be coordinated and
continuing to function as a nursery and day care centre. consistent designs for street furniture, fencing, paving,
lighting and building materials to enhance the unity of the
c. The upper levels of public tennis courts would be landscape setting. New planting should also respect the
replanned and graded to provide a more flexible multi- Brownian tradition of protecting view lines, providing
sports use while still incorporating tennis facilities. clumps of trees, enhancing openness and the promotion
d. The former Golf Course clubhouse should be replanned of a pastoral landscape. Lighting should have regard to
to serve as a flexible public and private functions facility the need for dark skies.
and include a new outdoor community theatre.
e. New AELTC tennis courts with a new facilities building
on Wimbledon Club land set into the landscape with roof
gardens and linked to a new area of accessible parkland.
f. Relocated Wimbledon Club terraced into the hill side
with lake views and roof terraces to form a hub with the
new Wimbledon Park Arena, located within shared AELTC
parkland with new cricket ground and pavilion.
The Capability Brown Society (TCBS) is an independent not for profit organisation with no agenda other
than to stimulate debate to get the very best possible imaginative outcome for the future direction and
use of the wider Heritage Wimbledon Park landscape. It aims to be proactive and imaginative, setting out
proposals for the wider parkland, perhaps the most intensively used multi-purpose park in London, at the same
time fully providing for the conservation and improvement of the park’s natural environment and ecology. This
sympathetic and constructive approach will be adopted for other Brownian Landscapes in the British Isles.HORSE CLOSE WOOD
PARKING
REMOVED
(3)
(6a)
DOG FREE MULTIPURPOSE
EVENTS BOWL AND
PUBLIC RECREATION AREA GREAT FIELD (5b) PARKLAND MEADOW WITH TREE CLUMPS
(CONTROLLED ACCESS ONLY
DURING FORMAL EVENTS)
WITH OCCASIONAL GRASS SPORTS OPTIONS
UNDERGROUND PARKING BOWL
WITH GREEN ROOF PLAY
NEW ACCESS NEW
INFORMAL TREE
CLUMPS
REDUCED PARKING
DRAINAGE
(5) (6F) NEW WIMBLEDON CLUB ATHLETICS GENTLE SCREEN
RELOCATED AND MOUNDING TO
SHIELD VIEW TO
SUMMER EVENTS
p
jum
k
trac
ong
ning
le/l
run
trip
m
TERRACED INTO HOCKEY
400
ne
8-la
HOCKEY
STADIUM AND
MULTISPORTS
18.0
TRACK
LANDSCAPE WITH ROOF GREAT FIELD
(6a) WIMBLEDON PARK ARENA
GARDENS TENNIS
BUILDING
EXTENSION
lt
vau
e
(6b) BEACH VOLLEYBALL
pol
t
sho
EDUCATION
LAKEVIEW
(3) DE-CULVERT CAFÉ NURSERY
(6b) PUBLIC GARDENS
SAILING BOWLS
(5) (6f) BIRD HIDE CRAZY
AELTC/TWC PONTOON
GATED ACCESS ANCILLARY GOLF (3) DE-CULVERT STREAM
NORTHERN OVERFLOW
CAFÉ
PARK RESTORED
(6f) CRICKET WATERFALL
PAVILION BOUNDARY
GROUND TENNIS
RELOCATED (3) (2) LAKE BROWNIAN
BRIDGE
17M WEIR WITH (5c) FLEXIBLE
6M CENTRAL FLOW
MULTISPORT
(6e) NEW AELTC COVERED GATED ACCESS
REPLANNING
FACILITIES WITH (3)
ROOF GARDENS SET POP UP REMOVE
SHOP
CAFÉ
LOW AND MERGED TUDOR OAK ASHEN GROVE WOOD
INTO LANDSCAPE
30
(6d) PUBLIC/PRIVATE FUNCTIONS CENTRE
TUNNEL LINK TO (5d) NEW OPEN AIR COMMUNITY THEATRE
AELTC (6) NEW PATH ACCESS TO LAKE
(5) (6e) NEW GRASS TENNIS EVENTS PARKING
PUBLIC WC
COURTS ON WTC LAND BIRD HIDE ONLY
INAPPROPRIATE BUILDINGS
GROUNDSMAN
(2) LAKE RESTORED TO TO BE REMOVED (4)
HISTORIC EXTENT PRINCIPAL PUBLIC PATHS (7)
(6) NEW PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRINCIPAL HERITAGE
HOME PARK ROAD TREES (3)
LAKE AT CHURCH (7) BOUNDARY FENCING AND IMPORTANT EXISTING
ROAD WOODLAND AND TREE
LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
GROUPS
(6e) INCLUDING NEW ROADSIDE NEW WOODLAND
AELTC SOUTHERN AVENUE TREES AND WITH
PARK LAKE VIEWS. KEY VIEWS NEW TREES IN PUBLIC PARK
(PROTECTED FROM OPENED TO LAKE PLAYGROUND
L
DEVELOPMENT) IL
H KEY VIEWPOINTS (1)
(3) DE-CULVERT D
AR
EY PROTECTED EDGE OF LAKE
N
VI WITH PUBLIC ACCESS
PUBLIC PARK
AELTC SOUTHERN PARK
WITH PUBLIC ACCESS
AELTC/TWC NORTHERN PARK
WITH CONTROLLED ACCESS
NEW AELTC TENNIS
FACILITIES
PUBLIC/PRIVATE
FUNCTION AREA
© 2021 – The
Capability 0 200
Brown Society
Limited. All
N
rights reserved.
NEIL THOMSON
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
1. PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF HISTORIC VIEWS AND OPENNESS
2. CONSERVATION OF THE HISTORIC LAKE WITHIN ITS DRAINAGE CATCHMENT
3. PROTECTION, CONSERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF NATURE, WOODLAND AND HISTORIC TREES
4. REMOVAL, REPLACEMENT AND RELOCATION OF INAPPROPRIATELY LOCATED FACILITIES
5. FINDING THE LEAST INTRUSIVE PLACE FOR EXTRA TENNIS FACILITIES
6. PROMOTION OF A WIDE RANGE OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RECREATIONAL, SPORTING AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
7. IMPROVED PUBLIC ACCESS
8. OPTIONS FOR PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR FACILITY MANAGEMENT
9. ENHANCED LANDSCAPE AMBIANCE WITH CONSISTENT STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FACILITIES.
A VISION FOR CAPABILITY BROWN'S WIMBLEDON PARK
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