Plans submitted for Lord’s revamp work

Image: Westminster City Council

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has submitted plans to redevelop two more stands at Lord’s Cricket Ground with an eye-catching new roof and top-floor bar.

The Standard said the MCC, which owns the ground, has submitted an application to Westminster City Council to demolish and replace the Allen Stand and completely redevelop the Tavern Stand.

The Tavern Stand will be stripped back to its underlying steel framework to enable the stand to be extended and completely rebuilt, while the smaller Allen Stand (parts of which date from the 1930s) will be demolished and a new building constructed in its place.

The 31,100-capacity Lord’s Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord’s, is a cricket venue in St John’s Wood, London (UK). Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the European Cricket Council (ECC).

Lord’s is widely referred to as the ‘Home of Cricket’ and is home to the world’s oldest sporting museum.

The Tavern and Allen stands are situated close to the principal Members’ entrance at Lord’s through the Grace Gate. As well as accommodating Members and guests, this sequence of buildings leads to the iconic Grade II-listed Pavilion.

Architects WilkinsonEyre were appointed last year to draw up design proposals to enhance the sense of arrival at Lord’s while meeting a clear requirement to modernise and improve the facilities in this area of the Ground. The resulting stands will provide a harmonious new contribution in keeping with the existing architecture at the world-famous sporting venue.

The Standard further stated that the design renders show the ground transformed with a new corrugated roof for the Tavern Stand, with the design believed to be inspired by cricket slip-catching cradles, creating a striking new look.

New tiers will be added to the stands under the proposed changes, and one of the big screens at the ground will be moved to create space for a top-floor bar.

A layer of seats will be added to the Tavern Stand while the Allen Stand, built in 1935 and the oldest at Lord’s, will be rebuilt with a new bridge linking it to the Grade-II listed Pavilion.

The bridge will be moved up a floor meaning it will no longer lead to the players and match officials area.

The redevelopment will add an extra 1,107 seats at the site, bringing the total capacity of the stadium to 32,287.

The plans would reportedly cost around £60 million and could be ready in time for the 2027 Ashes.

The proposals mark the latest stage of the 200-year-old grounds’ transformation following the redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich Stands.

The largest construction project in the Club’s history was completed for the 2021 cricket season and the resulting stands provide integrated facilities while increasing the seating capacity by 2,600.

With sustainability and inclusivity at the forefront of the redevelopment, the Compton and Edrich stands were the recipient of a coveted Civic Trust Award, given to projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment.

The ground was first opened in 1818 and quickly became a major venue as cricket became the world’s leading sport in the 19th century.

Robert Ebdon, MCC Estates Director, commented: “The Tavern and Allen stands are much cherished by Members. Redevelopment will greatly improve the accessibility of the stands, increase our seating capacity by approximately 1,000, provide more flexible hospitality with increased catering facilities, and will be vastly more sustainable.”

As well as WilkinsonEyre, MCC will work with its principal consultants – Arcadis, Buro Happold, and Gardiner & Theobold – over the course of the redevelopment project.

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