Summer is well and truly on the way in London, which can only mean it’s approaching Wimbledon time.

On the June 27, the eyes of the sporting world will turn to the hallowed (and perfectly manicured to exactly 8mm) grass courts of the All England Club.

To get a sense of the atmosphere of the whole occasion, and to make sure preparations are all on track, I signed up for a tour of the courts and museum.

Diligently arriving as requested half an hour before the tour began, I was dismayed to find I was expected to pass the time quietly in the museum - not normally a strength of mine.

However I was instantly engrossed by the wide array of exhibitions and activities in the museum; from items dating back to the first Championships in 1877 to a very entertaining game where visitors can test their reflexes against those of a professional tennis player (no scores will be revealed, but let’s just say I will be keeping my day job).

Tour guide Keith blew us away with his passion and knowledge about absolutely anything tennis related. The tour is a leisurely stroll around the grounds and manages to include everything of interest, from sitting on centre court seats to tours of the interview rooms, broadcast centre and even the players areas (although not the locker rooms).

Our tour group was a small and intimate size of about fifteen people, and Keith managed to field all the strange and random questions that were fired his way.

I grew up watching Wimbledon on television, but the history and tradition of this special place can only be fully appreciated in person.

The grounds somehow managed to personify history (129 championships and still going strong), exclusivity (only 375 highly sought after memberships) and class (players dressed in white, spectators all on a strict diet of strawberries, cream and Pimms) all at once, and that was just while the place was empty.

I can’t wait to experience it during the championship – see you there.

What you need to know:

Tours of Wimbledon can be booked on the website wimbledon.com and last about two hours. The cost for the museum and tour is £24 for adults.

A small number of tickets to the Championships can be obtained online the day before play, however most public tickets are obtained by queuing outside the stadium. During the Championships, the museum is only open to ticket holders at an extra charge.

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