The British Open is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and widely considered to be the biggest and the most prestigious.

It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877 and is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Wimbledon is the only Major still played on grass, the game’s original surface, which gave the game its original name of “lawn tennis”.

The Club was founded on 23 July 1868 as The All England Croquet Club. Its name was changed in 1877 to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club and in 1899 to The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. On 1 August 2011 the Club was converted into a company limited by guarantee under the name The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Limited. The activities of the Club, as a private members’ club, are conducted separately from The Championships.

Apart from the grass courts, the courts are used all year round by the Club members and LTA-sponsored players. The grass courts are in play from May to September (except Centre Court and other Show Courts which are used only for The Championships). The courts are lent to a number of clubs and organisations, mainly of a national character, for the staging of various events.

The area north of the Centre Court became known as Aorangi Park after the Club purchased the 11 acres from John Barker Ltd. of Kensington in 1967 and subsequently granted a lease to the New Zealand Sports and Social Club. Aorangi, meaning ‘Cloud in the Sky’, is the Maori name for Mount Cook.