Lord's to demolish Allen Stand and build new Tavern Stand
Cricket
MCC have promised that the heritage and tradition of Lord’s will be retained
LONDON (Web Desk) - MCC have promised that the heritage and tradition of Lord’s will be retained in the latest stage of the ground’s redevelopment and expansion, after appointing architects to design new Tavern and Allen Stands.
London-based architects WilkinsonEyre have won a tender process to design the stands, which are the first entrants to the ground see after arriving through the iconic Grace Gates.
WilkinsonEyre were also responsible for the redesign of the Compton and Edrich Stands at the Nursery end of the ground, which opened in 2021 and have been widely hailed as a success. That was the biggest redevelopment in Lord’s history, and was recently the recipient of a Civic Trust Award, which go to projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment.
MCC said in a statement that the Tavern Stand will “be stripped back to its underlying steel framework, to enable the stand to be extended and completely rebuilt”, while the Allen will be entirely demolished, with a new building replacing it.
With the exception of the 19th century Pavilion which it sits adjacent to, the Allen Stand is the oldest at the ground, dating back to 1935. The Tavern Stand was built in 1968, and both are in need of modernisation.
“WilkinsonEyre’s design proposals will seek 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," MCC said in a statement.
"The resulting stands will provide a harmonious new contribution in keeping with the existing architecture at the world-famous sporting venue.”
The changes are expected to increase the capacity of the ground – currently more than 31,000 – by around 1,000, extending its lead as the biggest cricket ground in the country. There is not yet a timeframe for the redevelopment, but being open for the 2027 Ashes seems a best-case scenario.
Robert Ebdon, MCC Estates Director, said: “After a thorough architects’ tender process, we are delighted to be renewing our successful partnership with the team at WilkinsonEyre for our next ambitious project.
“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”.
WilkinsonEyre also oversaw the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, which opened to the public late last year, as well as Gateshead Millennium Bridge among others.
“We feel privileged to be commissioned to design the latest new structures at Lord’s,” said Jim Eyre of WilkinsonEyre. “Our experience of designing the Compton and Edrich stands has given us a special insight and passion for working at such an historic ground, contributing to its continued success as a sporting venue in the best way that we are able.”
More is expected to be revealed about the redevelopment at the MCC’s AGM next month which is set to be a considerably less spiky affair after the club reversed their decision to move the Eton-Harrow and Varsity matches from the home of cricket.
Lord’s is the biggest ground in England, but finds itself in a quiet redevelopment race with the Kia Oval on the other side of the river Thames. The south London ground’s most recent redevelopment took it to 28,000 but, despite its small footprint, plans have been drawn up that could take it to a capacity of 40,000 in the coming years.
