Venue: Richmond Park
Address: 1625, when Charles I brought his court
Town: London, GB

Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer park. It is now a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation and is included, at Grade I, on Historic England's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England. Its landscapes have inspired many famous artists and it has been a location for several films and TV series. Richmond Park includes many buildings of architectural or historic interest. The Grade I-listed White Lodge was formerly a royal residence and is now home to the Royal Ballet School. The park's boundary walls and ten other buildings are Grade II-listed, including Pembroke Lodge, the home of 19th-century British Prime Minister Lord John Russell and his grandson, the philosopher Bertrand Russell. In 2020, Historic England listed two other features in the park - King Henry's Mound, possibly a round barrow, and an unnamed mound which could be a long barrow. Historically the preserve of the monarch, the park is open for all to use and includes a golf club with two courses, and other facilities for sport and recreation. It played an important role in both world wars and the 1948 Summer Olympics and also featured in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Richmond Park (856 hectares; 2,120 acres) is the largest of London's Royal Parks and the second-largest park in London after Lee Valley Park, whose linear-shaped area (4,000 hectares; 9,900 acres) extends beyond the M25 into Hertfordshire and Essex. It is Britain's second-largest urban walled park after Sutton Park (2,200 hectares; 5,400 acres) in Birmingham. Of national and international importance for wildlife conservation, most of Richmond Park is a National Nature Reserve (NNR), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The park, excluding the g