Visitors to Wimbledon and Putney Commons asked to keep their distance

BY TARA O’CONNOR, BBC local democracy reporter

Visitors to Wimbledon and Putney Commons have been asked to ‘be considerate’ in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 1,140 acre commons are made up of Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath and Putney Lower Common.

A message from the conservators, posted online yesterday (Sunday, March 22) reads: “Remember to keep a distance of at least two metres from other people and don’t be offended if other people keep two metres from you, they are keeping safe.

“The Commons are a large open space, but entrances and car parks are extremely busy. Please be considerate of others.”

This weekend Londoners flocked to their local parks, the commons were no exception.

With more people wanting to visit, the three car parks, The Windmill, Springwell and Richardson Evans Playing Fields have been busy.

Visitors are being asked to be patient and not park on any grass areas outside the car parks that could be churned up.

All events planned at the park in the next six weeks or so have been cancelled, this includes the spring walk with staff and the children’s Easter egg hunt.

Events held by other organisations including ParkRun have also been cancelled for the time being.

The Wimbledon Windmill and the tea rooms are now closed until further notice too.

But public toilets at the park remain open with the hope of keeping them open for as long as possible.

A spokesperson for the Commons added: “In many ways, the Commons offer the only form of reprieve available to many and one of the few remaining vestiges of a normal world.

“To some, the Commons are a lifeline.  This is clearly reflected in the high number of visitors to the Commons during these deeply troubling times.”