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| The MCC Museum at Lord’s, the game’s spiritual home, was given a modest revamp last spring and summer to display exhibits around themes including cricket and commerce, religion, war, politics and race. The changes are subtle, not disturbing the museum’s slightly old-fashioned feel, nor jarring with tradition. The exhibits aren’t so much telling a story as being displayed in their own right, but the labelling and descriptions are much improved. The quality of some of the items is beyond doubt, most obviously the tiny (4 in/10 cm high) Ashes urn, the single most iconic sporting symbol you’ll see at any sports museum in Britain. The ‘Ashes’ (pictured) date back to 1882 and the MCC website tells the story of the Anglo/Australian rivalry over them, though in fact the urn seldom leaves Lord’s and the two nations actually compete for a glass replica. The museum contains items linked to the sport’s first superstar, W.G. Grace, like a bat from the 1860s. Other exhibits include the ball with which Jim Laker took all ten wickets against Australia in 1956, a stuffed sparrow killed by a cricket ball in 1936, and Chinese archery shirts, a reminder that Lord’s is a 2012 Olympic venue. Interactive features are confined to two computer screens that will appeal more to older, rather than younger, visitors, but there is a cinema named after BBC commentator Brian Johnston, as well as films playing on the museum’s upper floor. This is dominated by huge paintings of stars from the last 20 years, commissioned as part of the innovative Lord’s Portrait Project. Our favourites included Brendan Kelly’s colossal passport photo-style Sir Viv Richards, Jennifer McCrae’s Michael Vaughan and Ishbel Myerscough’s warts-and-all Graham Gooch. _____________________________________________________________________ Tours on match-days don’t go into the Lord’s Pavilion to see the deeply atmospheric Long Room, the committee room or dressing rooms. Visit if you can when they are certain to be included and check in advance, as even on some non match-days parts of the building may be out of bounds. Portraits of greats from earlier eras stare down from the Long Room walls and any fan familiar with the history will relish visiting the committee room that was home to the English end of the 1930s bodyline controversy. The tour route usually takes in the ultra-modern Media Centre. On match-days it can cross sporting boundaries and visit the Lord's real tennis court (one of only 20 in the UK) to see that sport and, if you are really lucky, give you a chance to walk on the hallowed turf during lunch. Guides also talk about some of the key museum exhibits. |
