Editing Lord's (section)

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Acting on behalf of members of the [[White Conduit Club]] and backed against any losses by [[George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea]] and [[Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond|Colonel Charles Lennox]], [[Thomas Lord]] opened his [[Lord's Old Ground|first ground]] in May 1787 on the site where [[Dorset Square]] now stands, on land leased from the [[Portman Estate]].{{sfn|Warner|1946|p=17–18}} The White Conduit moved there from [[Islington]], unhappy at the standard of the ground at [[White Conduit Fields]], soon afterwards and reconstituted themselves as [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] (MCC). It was thought that the establishment of a new ground would offer more exclusivity to its members, with White Conduit Fields considered too far away from fashionable [[Oxford Street]] and the [[West End of London|West End]].<ref name="FIRSTS">{{cite book|last=Barker|first=Philip|year=2014|title=Lord's Firsts|publisher=[[Amberley Publishing]]|location=[[Stroud]]|isbn=9781445633299}}</ref> The first match played at the new ground saw [[Middlesex county cricket teams|Middlesex]] play [[Essex county cricket teams|Essex]].<ref name="WISG">{{cite book|last=Powell|first=William|year=1989|title=The Wisden Guides To Cricket Grounds|publisher=[[Stanley Paul|Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd]]|location=London|pages=14–7|isbn=009173830X}}</ref>{{sfn|Warner|1946|p=18}} In 1811, feeling obliged to relocate because of a rise in rent, Lord removed his turf and relaid it at [[Lord's Middle Ground|his second ground]]. This was short-lived because it lay on the route decided by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] for the [[Regent's Canal]], in addition to the ground being unpopular with patrons.{{sfn|Warner|1946|p=18}}<ref name="WISG"/>

The "Middle Ground" was on the estate of the Eyre family, who offered Lord another plot nearby; and he again relocated his turf. This new ground was originally a [[duck pond]] on a hill in [[St. John's Wood]], which gives rise to Lord's famous slope,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caaa0342-7261-11de-ba94-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caaa0342-7261-11de-ba94-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Grounded on terra firma|first=Harry|last=Eyres|work=[[Financial Times]]|date=18 July 2009|access-date=1 July 2021}}</ref> which at the time was recorded as sloping down {{Convert|6|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} from north-west to south-east, though in actuality the slope is {{Convert|8|ft|1|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="REM">{{cite book|last=Levison|first=Brian|year=2016|title=Remarkable Cricket Grounds|publisher=[[Pavilion Books]]|location=London|isbn=9781911216599}}</ref> The new ground was opened in the 1814 season, with the MCC playing Hertfordshire in the first match on the ground on 22 June 1814.{{sfn|Warner|1946|p=19}}<ref name="WISG"/>