Marple Cottage GuestHouse, Wimbledon

Nick and Bridgette have run Marple Cottage Guest House on Woodside in Wimbledon as a family business for more than thirty years. The eleven-bedroom guest house occupies a converted Victorian villa a short walk from Wimbledon town centre and station, with rooms let on a bed-and-breakfast basis to visitors attending the Championships, business travellers and families. Breakfast is served in a communal dining room rather than delivered by outside caterers, and the couple manage bookings, housekeeping and reception personally rather than through a management company. The guest house has no sister property elsewhere in London, distinguishing it from the small serviced-apartment groups that have since opened in the area. Its longevity under one family's ownership is unusual for a lodging market that turns over heavily during and after tennis season.