Kent man continues annual Wimbledon queue tradition for 33rd year

A man who has camped out in a queue for Wimbledon tickets every year since 1992 has kept his streak going.

Harry Taylor, who owns the Red Lion Inn in Bridge in Kent, arrived on Saturday morning and will camp overnight every day until the quarter finals on 9 July.

“It’s hard to describe, if you’ve been to the French Open and the US Open it’s not the same. There’s no queue, you just arrive. It’s impersonal,” he explained.

“This one, there’s about 4,000 people in the queue, there’s about 2,000 of us overnight. It’s amazing, and the tickets you get are incredible.”

Mr Taylor says he has friends from across the world, including China and Australia, who join the queue alongside him every year.

“We enjoy it, don’t get me wrong. The whole camping [experience], the camaraderie, it is one of the greatest tournaments in the world,” he added.

The pub owner says he will join the queue every year “unless I’m dead or I’m in hospital”.

Last year, Mr Taylor even did a postal vote in the General Election so he did not miss the action.

Over the years Mr Taylor has improved his tent and even picked up tricks like getting a local gym membership in order to use their showers.

He said: “My tent is like a five-star hotel. 


“I’ve got a blow-up bed, I’ve got lights, I’ve got everything.

“We even have flowers and fragrances.”