Lord’s Media Centre revamp gets underway

The iconic single-shell aluminium structure is undergoing a comprehensive overhaul as part of a £2 million improvements programme at the west London sports venue.

The five-stage refurbishment process will take two months to complete and is being carried out for the first time since the press centre opened 12 years ago in 1999.

Now called the JP Morgan Media Centre, the building will receive a ‘comprehensive wash’, 20m² of corrosion repairs, wet and dry sanding, a two coat re-paint and a full window clean.

Other improvements at Lord’s include a PA system upgrade for the Grandstand, Compton and Edrich stands, fresh sight screens and a new Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) bar.

MCC head of cricket and estates, John Stephenson, said: ‘MCC is determined to maintain the reputation of Lord’s as the best cricket ground in the world for players, members and spectators, and during the last twenty-five years over £50 million has been invested in the infrastructure of the Ground to make sure that this is the case. 

‘The spring clean of the J.P. Morgan Media Centre this month represents the most recent phase in the Club’s ongoing commitment to ensure that Lord’s remains world-class, as well as world-famous.’

In December, the MCC decided to discard ambitious plans by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and developer Almacantar for the redevelopment of the cricket ground, proceeding instead on a ‘stand-by-stand basis’.