Henry VIII's love of riding bordered on the obsessional.
Before he became so grossly fat,
he would ride seven days a week,
wear out eight horses in a day.
So he decided to turn the land north of Westminster
into his own private royal hunting ground.
What few residents there were,
he slung them out,
and then he built a brick wall to keep them out.
In 1532, Henry VIII drained the land  1532
where Buckingham Palace now stands
and created a well-stocked deer park.
Henry often rode here,
for hunting, courting and conducting business.