Lord’s Cricket Ground

Introduction

At the heart of London's sporting heritage, Lord's Cricket Ground (Lord's) stands as a beacon of cricket's enduring legacy. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787, and since 1814 has been based at Lord's Cricket Ground, known as the Home of Cricket, in St John's Wood, London.

Marylebone Cricket Club has proposed an ambitious redevelopment of the Tavern and Allen Stands to enhance the spectator experience and significantly increase seating capacity. This project, aimed at ensuring Lord's continues to host major cricketing events with increased audience capacity, whilst remaining a world-class venue, is being brought to life through the collaboration between site investigation specialists Concept, engineering experts Buro Happold, architectural innovators WilkinsonEyre, and Marylebone Cricket Club.

The redevelopment seeks to intertwine modernity with tradition, enhancing the ground's capacity while honouring its historical significance. The project envisions a future where the Lord's legacy will continue to thrive by amplifying the echoes of cricketing triumphs with modern enhancements.

Why Ground Investigation?

Understanding the subsurface conditions is crucial for the new stands' stability and longevity. This investigative step is fundamental to ensuring the new structures are both safe and enduring, by de-risking the ground on which they will stand. Addressing potential issues before construction begins aims to integrate the new developments seamlessly with Lord's historic essence, safeguarding against future complications.

Delivering on the Specification

Our task was to conduct a comprehensive ground investigation discreetly within the bustling environment of the world's most renowned cricket ground. In accordance with the specification, we successfully delivered the ground investigation utilising cable percussive, rotary drilling, and windowless sampling techniques, as well as vacuum-excavated trial pits and trenches, geotechnical and geoenvironmental laboratory testing, and groundwater monitoring and sampling.

The high-quality data we delivered were to the latest industry standards and enabled Buro Happold to design the redevelopment with a focus on sustainability, accessibility, commercial and financial predictability to increase seating capacity by 1,000 and ensure the integration of the new stands with Lord's iconic landscape.

Why Concept?

Concept has an established reputation as an industry leader in ground investigation services, with a heritage of working on major schemes within the Greater London area, and has worked closely with investigation supervisor Buro Happold on other projects in the past. Chosen for our expertise in discreet, efficient ground investigations, our team is adept at working quietly and unnoticed to minimize disruption to the site's daily activities and aesthetics.

Our specialisation in conducting intricate investigations with minimal impact on a site's operations and historical ambiance underscored our commitment to maintaining Lord's prestige while supporting its evolution into the future. Our collaboration with our client and all stakeholders exemplifies our dedication to excellence, discretion, and integrity.

In pictures: How Lord’s Cricket Ground will look by the 2027 Ashes following the proposed redevelopment. To the right is an impression of the proposed Tavern stand at night.