The wider view: Wimbledon's impressive new Centre Court seen from the sky

[Snowden]

The wider view: Wimbledon's impressive new Centre Court seen from the sky



Last updated at 1:01 AM on 22nd June 2008

This is Wimbledon as you've never seen it before.

As the tennis world gears up for the Championships tomorrow, our aerial view shows the impressive new Centre Court - now only awaiting the retractable roof, which will not be ready until next year.

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Smashing view: the new Centre Court is all but complete, awaiting only its retractable roof

OUR FASCINATING PICTURE ALSO SHOWS:

1 CEDAR COURT: Residents here can expect to rent out their flats for up to £3,000 a week.

2 LIVING LOGO: A flowerbed displaying the year, 2008.

More than 10,000 green alternanthera are used, some sprayed purple to give the official Wimbledon colours.

3 HENMAN HILL: Officially Aorangi Terrace, this is a favourite spot for British fans, who can watch the matches on a giant screen.

4 NUMBER ONE COURT: The 11,000-seat complex opened in 1997, part of the first phase of Wimbledon's redevelopment.

5 BROADCAST CENTRE: About 3,000 members of the media from all over the world will be here during the tournament, most notably the BBC and American network NBC.

6 NEWSTEAD WAY: These unremarkable £850,000 four-bedroom terrace houses 300 yards from the grounds are rented out for as much as £10,000 a week during the tournament, to tennis superstars, fans and the media.

7 MILLENNIUM BUILDING: Built in 2000 on the site of the former Number One Court, it houses the players' and members' facilities.

8 COURT BUFFET: Wimbledon is the largest single annual sporting catering operation in Europe.

Fans will consume 150,000 glasses of Pimms, 17,000 bottles of champagne, 28 tons of strawberries and 1,500 gallons of cream.

9 NUMBER TWO COURT: This will open next year on the site of Courts 12 and 13.

10 CENTRE COURT: 15,000 fans can now watch the action in the new facility.
Next year, the retractable roof will be able to slide into position within ten minutes, meaning no more interruptions for rain.

11 GATE FOUR (there are 20 entrances): Up to 460,000 tennis fans will pass through the gates over the next two weeks.

Tickets range from £5 for a ground ticket, allowing access to Courts 2 to 19, to more than £2,000 for the men's final on Centre Court.



The wider view: Wimbledon's impressive new Centre Court seen from the sky | Mail Online

[Woodmonkey]

That is impressive.