Lord's renovation taking shape as next phase beckons

HUW TURBERVILL: The £52 million update is on course to be delivered in time for next season, with the home of cricket swelling to 31,100

• Read more from Huw Turbervill
• One-division format being considered for County Championship return

Lord’s may not have had to cope with the 10 plagues of Egypt, but builders have had serious obstacles to overcome to deliver the new Compton and Edrich stands by April 30.

The Cricketer was given the honour of inspecting the new facilities from a stunning vantage point – the hallowed turf.

Work began on the £52m project at the nursery end exactly a year ago. The redevelopment is the club’s largest to date and is an integral part of MCC’s Masterplan to revitalise the ground. 

The Compton stand will have 6,000 seats and the Edrich 5,500, increasing the capacity of the ground by 2,600 to 31,100. They both have upper and lower tiers for spectators, with corporate facilities in the middle.

^{The MCC are hopeful the overhaul will be completed by the start of next summer}

The next phase is due to commence this month and includes the installation of a canopy roof and an elevated 50m walkway at the back which connects the two stands.

A team of 124 builders have worked on through the wettest winter for a decade, the high winds of February, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Architect Sam Wright of WilkinsonEyre said: “Lord’s is not a stadium but a series of buildings – pavilions in the park, each with their own identities. These new stands maintain this while modernising the ground.”

MCC assistant secretary (estates and ground development), Robert Ebdon added: “We recognised the world-class design of the new stands at the start of the project back in 2018. Seeing them now take shape in front of us at Lord’s reaffirms that when complete, the stands will be truly outstanding. They already complement the Ground’s character and we are looking forward, when it is safe to do so, to welcome crowds back to Lord’s to experience these exceptional stands for themselves.”

^{Lord's will host the National Village Cup Final on September 19}

Some of the project’s statistics, one year on, include:

• 7,000m³ of material has been excavated from the site in demolishing the old stands.
• 2,000 tonnes of steel has been installed to create the superstructure now in place.
• 1,300 separate pieces of pre-cast concrete form the terracing of the three tiers, standing at 24 meters high, which offer unparalleled views of the hallowed turf and iconic Grade II* listed Pavilion.
• The majority of the 11,600 seats fitted have been re-used from the previous stands to mitigate waste, and they all offer unrestricted views of the playing area.
• The stands offer an additional 2,600 seats, increasing the Ground’s capacity to 31,600. 

Colwall and Redbourn will contest The Cricketer Village Cup final at Lord’s on Saturday.

It will be the only non-professional match played at Lord’s this summer. As per the current Government guidelines, the match will be played behind closed doors without spectators.

The match will be streamed live on www.nationalvillagecup.com. 

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