Tucked away in a small attic room off the Village High Street is a catalogue of more than 5,000 artefacts, and 4,000 photographs, prints, watercolours and drawings that charts Wimbledon’s 3,000-year history.

The Museum of Wimbledon remains one of Merton’s best kept secrets, but a growing team of more than 50 volunteers is intent on spreading the message that there’s more to the town than just tennis.

From stories of Iron Age forts and settlements to the geology of the common and its extinct wildlife, exhibitions are packed into a space little larger than the average Wimbledon living room.

“Every weekend we’ll get someone coming in who will just say ‘wow’. They’ve usually lived here for 30 or 40 years and never known we’re on their doorstep,” says volunteer Cassandra Taylor.

“They are just completely unaware of the history and how the place has changed in the past 3,000 years – from a basic Iron Age settlement to today’s metropolitan, bustling town.”

The independent museum is owned by the Wimbledon Society and was founded in 1916. Since then residents have pored over hundreds of artefacts and pictures.

Stories from World War II are prominent, with one main display featuring photographs of residents queuing to donate aluminium pots and pans, which were melted and used to construct aircraft.

The exhibit also has tales about the common’s vital use in the war effort – an Italian prisoner of war camp was based near Royal Wimbledon Golf Club while army camps in the middle of the common included a section for demobilised soldiers who were handed new suits and sent on their way to civvy street.

Museum chairman Charles Toase said: “It surprises so many people to find out Wimbledon is about much more than just tennis. Where else in the world is there such a famous place with a history that so few people realise?

“What also makes this museum different is it’s completely independent. You just need to look elsewhere, to places such as Wandsworth, where the council hasn’t been able to keep its museum open, or Kingston, where its museum is funded entirely by the local authority.”

The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday between 2.30pm and 5pm. Admission is free. For more information, see wimbledon museum.org.uk.