The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), also known as the All England Club, is a private members' club based at Church Road in the Wimbledon area of London, England. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass. It is played every year since 1877 CE from late June to mid-July with the exceptions of World War I (1915 CE-1918 CE) and World War II (1940 CE-1945 CE). Initially an amateur event that occupied club members and their friends for a few days each summer, the championships have become far more prominent than the club itself.