Lord's Old Ground

Thomas Lord was a shrewd entrepreneur who understood that a sporting venue needed more than just a playing surface to succeed. When he opened his first cricket ground in 1787 on the site now occupied by Dorset Square, he ensured that the only way for spectators to enter or leave the seven-acre field was by walking directly through his own wine shop. This captive audience guaranteed a steady stream of customers for his business while the cricket matches themselves drew the wealthy members of the White Conduit Club. The club soon reconstituted itself as the Marylebone Cricket Club, cementing a relationship between the institution and the ground that persists to this day.