HISTORY OF THE GROUNDS KING’S HOUSE SCHOOL

Opened in 1926 by King George V and Prince Albert, the Sports Ground has a longstanding history and was run by the Civil Service Sports Council until 2010.

The first recorded match at the Sports Ground was in 1926, when the Civil Service cricket team played Australia in a non-first-class match. The following year, the ground held its only firstclass match when the Civil Service played the touring New Zealanders. His Royal Highness King George VI and the Queen Consort visited the bowls green in 1946, and HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.

The site has remained the home of the Civil Service Football Club and the Civil Service Rugby Club, now known as CS Stags 1863, since its opening.

The Civil Service Football Club was one of 11 clubs who founded the English FA in 1863 and is the only existing founding member club, as well as a founding member of some of the oldest amateur leagues in the world. It helped create and played in the first ever FA Challenge Cup competition in the 1871/72 season and the Civil Service took part in the FA Cup from its inception until 1951.

On 26th January 1871, the Civil Service Rugby Club (now CS Stags 1863) was one of 20 clubs that met at the Pall Mall Restaurant to form the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Exactly 100 years later, on 26th January 1971, the centenary of the Rugby Football Union was celebrated with a Founder Member Clubs’ Banquet at the Guildhall in London. The Club was one of the founders of the Surrey RFU in 1879 and has been a member of the Middlesex RFU since the 1880s.

King’s House School is an independent day prep school for boys aged 3 to 13, with a co-ed Nursery, in Richmond. The School has managed the Sports Ground since 2010, and boys from Year 1 upwards enjoy the facilities for their games lessons.

The site is a ten-minute drive from the main school site in Richmond, and pupils are transported by coach for PE, games lessons and home sports fixtures.

Schedule of KHS Games Lessons

The Sports Ground is also used throughout the year by the School for a variety of nonsporting activities. This includes the annual Summer Concert, induction days and school leavers’ parties.

Morning (11.00–12.00pm) Afternoon (2.30–4.30pm)

Monday Year 3 Years 7 & 8

Tuesday Year 4 Years 5 & 6

Wednesday Year 1 Years 7 & 8

Thursday Year 2 Year 5

Friday Year 3 (Summer Term only) Years 4 & 6