Richmond Park

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 listed at Grade II, 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 also listed two other features in the park – King Henry's Mound, which is possibly a round barrow, and another (unnamed) mound which could be a long barrow.

Historically the preserve of the monarch, the park is now 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 in the 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Richmond Park is the largest of London's Royal Parks. It is the second-largest park in London (after the 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) Lee Valley Park, whose linear-shaped area extends beyond the M25 into Hertfordshire and Essex) and is Britain's second-largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham.

Of national and international importance for wildlife conservation, most of Richmond Park (856 hectares; 2,120 acres) is a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The park, excluding the area of the golf course, Pembroke Lodge Gardens and the Gate Gardens, was designated as an SSSI in 1992 and is the largest in London. In its citation, Natural England said: "Richmond Park has been managed as a royal deer park since the seventeenth century, producing a range of habitats of value to wildlife. In particular, Richmond Park is of importance for its diverse deadwood beetle fauna associated with the ancient trees found throughout the parkland. In addition the park supports the most extensive area of dry acid grassland in Greater London."

The park was designated as an SAC in 2005 because it has "a large number of ancient trees with decaying timber. It is at the heart of the south London centre of distribution for stag beetle Lucanus cervus, and is a site of national importance for the conservation of the fauna of invertebrates associated with the decaying timber of ancient trees".

Since 1987 the park has also been included, at Grade I, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, being described in Historic England's listing as "A royal deer park with pre C15 origins, imparked by Charles I and improved by subsequent monarchs. A public open space since the mid C19".

Richmond Park is located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Petersham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen.