Seating to be expanded by 20% with a new pergola and terraced areas
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has unveiled plans by Allies & Morrison to revamp Wimbledon’s famous Henman Hill.
Seating at the grassy slope, a popular spot for spectators at the grand slam, will be expanded by 20% and made more inclusive under plans due to be built in time for the 2027 tournament.
Henman Hill, named after former British number one Tim Henman in the late 1990s, attracts crowds of people at each championships who watch matches on a giant screen on the side of No.1 Court.
Known as one of the club’s most atmospheric locations during the annual summer grand slam, it has been renamed after successive British champions including Murray Mound, after Andrew Murray, and Raducanu Ridge, after Emma Raducanu, but is still most commonly referred to by its original name.
The hill’s redesign is aiming to make its seating more comfortable by reducing its gradient with a series of new terraces, bordered by low retaining walls, and pathways.
A new pergola with covered seating and a “stunning” new floral display will also be added at the top of the hill.
Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club, commente:, “The redevelopment of our world-famous Hill, in time for The Championships 2027, will allow even more tennis fans to enjoy its unique atmosphere and vantage point.
“I am particularly pleased that these plans will increase the accessibility of The Hill for our guests using wheelchairs or who have additional accessibility requirements.”
The scheme is the club’s latest planned improvement following Allies & Morrison’s proposals for a major expansion on neighbouring land which would more than triple the size of the club’s tightly packed grounds.
The £200m expansion was approved by the Greater London Authority last year but is now facing a judicial review, set for July, after the High Court allowed a legal challenge bought by campaigners concerned about the scheme’s use of public land.
The proposals, the largest expansion in the grand slam tournament’s history, would add 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat show court on Metropolitan Open Land next to the club’s main site.
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