The Bowls Clubhouse was built in 1909 along with two of the four proposed four bowling greens, which opened in June of that year. The onset of World War I stopped construction of the other two greens which has left the clubhouse off centre in terms of the established bowling greens.
In the early days Wimbledon Park was respected and recognised by the English Bowling Association and the English Women's Bowling Association as maintaining superior bowling greens to any other public greens in England. This attracted national tournaments to Wimbledon Park. The London Parks Bowling Association also held their championships on the greens. So, during this golden period from 1935 to 1976, Wimbledon Park was essentially the equivalent of the All England for bowling tournaments.
The English Women’s Bowling Association held the National Championships at Wimbledon Park for two weeks each year from 1935 until 1939 and then after the Second World War from 1945 until 1976 when the National Women’s Championships moved to Royal Leamington Spa. The Wimbledon Park Ladies were proud to host this important annual event; in fact if you had bowled at Wimbledon Park you really were someone and had made your mark in the bowling world.
In 1969, the Surrey County Women’s Bowling Association presented the Wimbledon Council with the pavilion clock, which remains to this day, in memory of a very famous lady bowler – Mrs Johns, after whom the Inter-county John’s Trophy is named.
The club has achieved much recognition over the past one hundred years. Chief among its successes have been its England international players, Mrs Wolsey-Smith in 1952 and 1953, Mrs Jackson from 1954 through to 1963 and Mrs Linney in 1957, 1958 and 1959. More recently, in 2010, Rachel Winter reached the quarter-finals of the National Under-25 singles and in 2011 went one better reaching the semi-finals of the National Under-25 pairs.
Success also came at county level with county honours going to club members in the Surrey Women’s Championships in the 1940’s, 1950's, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s and in the Surrey Men’s Championships in the 1990’s. More recently, Martin Jewitt was Runner-Up in the Surrey Secretaries Championship in 2005 and Rachel Winter was the Under-25 Pairs Champion in 2007, 2011 and 2012 and Runner-Up in the Under-25 Singles and Under-31 Palm Trophy in 2012.
Wimbledon Park has been proud of its roots as a London Park’s club and until a few years ago took part in the inter-club London Park’s Jackson Shield winning this prestigious award for being the top London Park’s Bowling Club in 1991 and winning the Daily Telegraph Cup on four occasions, 1936, 1938, 1944 and 50 years later in 1994. Club members also won the London Parks’ Pairs in 2000.
Local success has also been achieved within the Wimbledon and District Bowls Association. Wimbledon Park bowlers have won individual honours in each of the last six decades within the Wimbledon and District, winning the WDBA Pairs and Triples in 1969, the triples in 1972, the Champion of Champions in 1984 and Pairs in 1989, the Pairs in 1990, Pairs and Triples in 1991, the Fours in 1996, the Fours in 2007, Triples in 2008 and Champion of Champions in 2012.
Wimbledon Park won the WDBA midweek league in 2003 and again in 2008.
In 2005 Wimbledon Park Bowls Club and Wimbledon Park Ladies’ Bowls Club formally amalgamated to become the mixed club that they are today. In 2007 the ladies section celebrated their diamond jubilee and in 2009 we celebrated the first one hundred years of bowling at Wimbledon Park.
