Greatest Cricket Moments

First Long Room at the New Lord's — Pavilion Opens, May 1816

1816-05-15n/aMCC pavilion completion, Lord's Cricket Ground, May 18161 min readSeverity: Mild

Summary

In May 1816 the MCC completed the first pavilion at the new Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood — a small two-storey wooden building containing dressing rooms and, on the ground floor, a panelled members' room that became known as the Long Room. The 1816 Long Room was the direct ancestor of the present pavilion's most famous space and the first dedicated indoor cricket room at Lord's.

Background

Lord's had no permanent buildings in 1814-15. Members watched from carriages drawn up at the boundary; players changed in tents.

What Happened

The new St John's Wood ground had opened in June 1814 with only temporary tents. Through 1815 the MCC committee — chiefly Beauclerk — had pushed for a permanent building. The pavilion, designed by an unknown architect and built in clapboard, was completed in May 1816. It contained a single ground-floor room running the length of the building, with sash windows facing the pitch. Members and committee used it through the 1810s and 1820s. It burned down in 1825 and was replaced by a brick building.

Timeline

22 Jun 1814

St John's Wood ground opens

May 1816

First pavilion completed; Long Room opens

28 Jul 1825

Pavilion destroyed by fire

1826

Brick replacement pavilion completed

1890

Present Verity pavilion completed

Aftermath

The 1816 pavilion served as the MCC's headquarters until it burned down on 28 July 1825. Its replacement was a brick building completed in 1826; that in turn was replaced by the present Thomas Verity pavilion in 1890.

⚖️ The Verdict

The founding entry of the Long Room — a space that became, in successive rebuildings, the most famous indoor room in cricket.

Legacy & Impact

The Long Room — through three pavilions over 175 years — is the central indoor space of Lord's. The 1816 building is its first instance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the original Long Room look like?▾
A single rectangular room about forty feet long, panelled in dark wood, with sash windows facing the pitch and a fireplace at the eastern end. No images survive but the layout is described in Bentley.

Tags

#regency-cricket#underarm#lords#long-room#pavilion#mcc#1816#iconic-moment

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