I’m a poor tennis player, but I couldn’t miss the chance to play (and be beaten) at Wimbledon
ON MY first Virgin Radio/Q102 show I was joined by the great Russell Crowe who was quick to mock my white legs which he bore witness to when we played tennis during the summer of 2022. After the show, an accomplished Irish tennis player called James Cluskey got in touch to say he had heard the chat and wanted to invite me to his tennis club to play a game or two.
When he added that the club in question was Wimbledon, I nearly fell off my seat.
I’m a poor player who is stuck in a time with Wimbledon references really only stretching from Boris Becker to Stefan Edberg, but I do enjoy the sounds and occasional afternoon of Wimbledon watching, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Last week after the show, I hopped on a Tube to the famous grounds where I got a guided tour through the courts and dressing rooms usually only ever seen on television during lazy summer afternoons.
The grass courts were being maintained so our hour of power took place on a beautiful indoor tennis court.
I think I won two points in five games (it felt like correctly answering a question on University Challenge) and James informed me that I had earned myself a bagel.
This is not a lunch reference but rather the shape of the number of games I had won…
We wandered past the beautiful trophies that the champions win on the day (which they raise above their heads and promptly return before being handed a mini replica for the mantelpiece!) and had a good look around the royal box, that area populated by the great and the good (and well-connected) during the championship.
I was struck by how close these particular spectators are to the action, but also by the pristine courts and overall sense of tradition. Between the House of Parliament last week and Wimbledon soon thereafter, I’m getting a great old peek behind the curtain of some quintessentially British institutions, but I’d still take home any day!
When I used to visit schools, I always asked the children if they liked history as a subject. If a smattering of hands went up I’d explain to them that, in fact, they all loved history but just hadn’t met the right teacher yet.
I’m a long-standing fan and admirer of teachers BUT, like in any business, a bad leader can kill morale, curiosity and hope. I’ve seen this up close in my professional life but in the teaching world this can kill a young person’s nascent interest in the past or in poetry or indeed the sciences. Conversely, a great teacher (the majority) can bring a subject to life, making it vibrant, accessible and fascinating. The same rules apply in many ways to museums the world over.
For whatever reason, I found myself visiting three different museums in London this week. As some of my close pals were visiting, they wanted a bit of culture to complement the few pints, so we took ourselves off to the Imperial War Museum which is within walking distance of Elephant and Castle Tube station. It’s free in and offers an incredible and evenhanded approach to history in an interesting and accessible way.
The First World War section takes you through the timeline which is accompanied by interactive graphics, beautiful and grotesque visuals, and even a trench to walk through to give you a sense of the dimensions and degradation. It takes a while to get through but it’s well worth the effort.
The next floor up is the Second World War, which is apparent from the swastikas on the wall and the audio of jackboots on the march interspersed with the guttural rantings of Hitler. Again, the displays are compelling and well-written, never boring or overbearing.
The next floor up is dedicated to the horrors of the Holocaust and is populated by all generations of visitor slowly shaking their heads in disbelief at the relentless stories of the death and destruction perpetrated by the Nazis during their reign of terror.
You could spend many hours at the IWM so if you’re planning to visit, be sure to carve out a full afternoon. And it’s not suitable for under-12s.
The British Museum has been receiving rave reviews for its Legion exhibition on life as an ordinary Roman soldier in the time of empire, so I was excited to buy a ticket (£22/€25.50) and head in. Unfortunately, I found it very
underwhelming and definitely a case of poor teaching. In my disappointment, I headed upstairs to the permanent (and free) exhibition where a lovely older volunteer gave a (free) tour of several points of interest in the Roman section. In 40 minutes there I learned more than in the two hours I spent, pretty bored, at the big-ticket event. Upstairs, I had found a better class of teacher!