3 grounds
Lord’s has occupied three London grounds, not one since 1787
6 min readLast updated
Photo: Ben Marsh[1] · CC BY-SA 2.5
The short answer
The present Lord’s in St John’s Wood is the third ground associated with Thomas Lord’s name. The first opened at Dorset Fields in 1787; the current ground became MCC’s home in 1814.
Why it's true
Lord’s is often described as though its name has always belonged to one unchanging patch of London. MCC’s history tells a more mobile story. Thomas Lord first established a ground at Dorset Fields in 1787. A second, known as the Middle Ground, followed near Lisson Grove. The present ground in St John’s Wood was the third location, opening for MCC in 1814.
The reason for the moves was not a succession of sporting rebrandings. London was growing, land costs were rising, and infrastructure was reshaping the area. When the original ground’s lease expired in 1811, Lord refused the increased rent. The later threat of the Regent’s Canal then forced another relocation. The history of a sporting venue is also a history of urban land.
By the numbers
1787
First ground at Dorset Fields
1809
Middle Ground opened
1814
Present site became MCC’s home
The backstory
The first ground grew out of the White Conduit Club’s search for greater privacy. Two prominent supporters guaranteed Thomas Lord against losses if he found a new site. He chose Dorset Fields, laid out a wicket, put up a fence and charged admission. MCC’s account adds the commercial detail that entry and exit passed through his wine shop.
The opening match there took place on 31 May 1787, with Middlesex defeating Essex by 93 runs. Lord himself opened the batting for Middlesex. These particulars anchor the original venue in a documented match rather than just a founding legend. MCC’s establishment and the first Lord’s ground belong to the same year, but the ground’s later relocations remain a separate story.
Lord had already rented fields on the Eyre estate before leaving Dorset Fields. He initially let the Middle Ground to St John’s Wood Cricket Club while MCC continued at the original site. After the old ground closed, he transferred equipment and even turf. The name moved with the enterprise, and some of the playing surface physically moved with it.
Worth remembering
- Lord’s history spans three different grounds.
- The first two overlapped from 1809 to 1811.
- The Regent’s Canal helped force the final move.
In context
One detail makes the sequence less tidy than a three-date timeline suggests. MCC says the Middle Ground opened in 1809, while the original remained in use until 1811. For a period, two Lord’s grounds therefore operated at once. Calling the Middle Ground simply the 1811 ground can be convenient shorthand for MCC’s transition, but it conceals that earlier opening and overlap.
A closer look
The canal changed the plan
In 1812, news emerged that the proposed Regent’s Canal would cut through the Middle Ground. According to MCC, Lord negotiated £4,000 in compensation and secured another plot from the Eyre estate. He moved the turf north, erected a fence and built another pavilion. The third ground was not simply a voluntary upgrade to a more fashionable address.
The club’s account says the Middle Ground was unpopular, partly because it lacked the desired atmosphere and a tavern. At the next location, Lord ensured a public house was included. Sporting convenience, social expectations and business calculation were intertwined. The home of a cricket club was also a place where members expected to gather beyond the actual play.
Which founding date belongs to the present site?
The first MCC meeting at the new ground was advertised for 9 May 1814. The club’s broader history identifies 1814 as the move to the St John’s Wood ground that remains its home. That is the date to attach to the present site, while 1787 belongs to MCC’s foundation and Thomas Lord’s first ground.
Preserving both dates avoids an easy mistake on heritage plaques, captions and travel descriptions. An institution can be older than its current address. The continuing name Lord’s links the sites, but it does not make their soil, buildings and boundaries identical. The three-ground history makes that distinction unusually tangible because turf was among the things Lord actually carried between locations.
Related facts
This connects with another part of sporting history: The Olympic rings represent five continents, not five colour-coded continents.
This connects with another part of sporting history: The first modern Olympics opened in Athens in 1896.
This connects with another part of sporting history: The first Winter Olympics began as a winter sports week.
This connects with another part of sporting history: An Olympic gold medal is gilded, not a solid lump of gold.
Key terms
- Lord’s
- The present MCC ground in St John’s Wood, the third ground associated with Thomas Lord’s name.
- Dorset Fields
- The site where Thomas Lord established the first ground in 1787.
Myth vs reality
Myth
The current Lord’s ground has been MCC’s home since 1787.
Reality
MCC began in 1787, but its present ground dates from the move in 1814.
People also ask
How many Lord’s grounds have there been?
Three are identified in MCC’s account: the original at Dorset Fields, the Middle Ground near Lisson Grove and the present ground in St John’s Wood. The continuing name reflects Thomas Lord’s enterprise, not uninterrupted occupation of one site since 1787.
When did the present ground become MCC’s home?
In 1814. MCC’s history says it moved to the St John’s Wood ground that remains its home. The earlier 1787 date belongs to the founding of MCC and the first Lord’s ground at Dorset Fields, not to the current address.
Did the Middle Ground open in 1811?
MCC’s detailed account says it opened in 1809 and was initially rented to St John’s Wood Cricket Club. The original ground closed in 1811. Those dates explain why a simplified timeline can obscure a period when two Lord’s grounds operated simultaneously.
Why did the club leave the Middle Ground?
The planned Regent’s Canal would cut through it. MCC describes Thomas Lord negotiating compensation and a replacement plot on the Eyre estate. That urban-development pressure prompted the move to the third ground, rather than a simple decision to change the club’s name.
Did Thomas Lord really move the turf?
Yes, according to MCC’s historical account. It describes turf moving when the original ground closed and again during the move north to the present location. That physical transfer is an unusually concrete link between the three sites carrying his name.
