Lord's Picket Fencing - The Garden Trellis Company

Lord’s, the Home of Cricket, has been undergoing an ambitious redevelopment plan dubbed the “Masterplan” since 2014.

The MCC’s plan to improve the ground’s facilities in phases while continuing to keep the ground operational is approximately at its halfway point, having seen completion of the new Warner, Compton and Edrich stands. With summer 2021 seeing both the return of crowds to cricket games and the unveiling of the Compton and Edrich stands, it was important for the MCC to show Lord’s in its best light.

The Garden Trellis Company was delighted to receive a request to replace the white picket fencing surrounding the Nursery Ground, which backs on to the new stands and acts as a hub for fans searching for food, refreshments, or a stretch of their legs between overs.

The design and installation of the fencing came with some interesting challenges.

The Nursery Ground has many functions, one of which is its role as the hub for large events. On such occasions, guests need to be able to walk on and off the grass to access any facilities and Marquees which have been set up, without getting fenced in! To address this, we designed a knapp-fixing mechanism which allows removal of individual sections of the fence. This, combined with the posts being removable by virtue of the galvanised post shoes concreted into the ground, allows for a complete removal of the fence when necessary.

All of the posts and panels are engraved with a number so that once removed the fence can be reassembled easily. This would be extremely difficult without the numbers due to the slight differences in panel width and height necessitated by the curved boundary.

White picket fence surrounds a cricket field with a modern pavilion and tent-like roof structure.

With stray balls firing out of the nets or over the boundary rope during practice games, the posts are also likely to have to withstand a fair few cherry-coloured dents over the years – though year-round exposure to the English weather is just as dangerous for garden timber. With these factors in mind, we were careful to use the most appropriate timber: Thermowood for the panels and pressure-treated softwood for the posts, each being dimensionally stable (built to withstand the unpredictable trials of British weather). Should they be hit hard enough to crack, each individual section is always capable of being easily removed and replaced. And none of this is to mention the challenge our installers faced in having to account for the famous Lord’s slope!

The Garden Trellis Company was well placed to carry out the project, as our bespoke offerings include as much or as little assistance across the complete journey required by our clients, including design, manufacture, decoration, delivery and installation. The installation of over 350 metres of fencing, which incorporates curves, three gates and the removeable panels was completed in 12 days by our expert installation team.

What would a picket fence be were it not as white as they players’ strips, though! Aside from giving the assembled timber that neatly finished and professional look, a properly applied paint job is also crucial in helping wood weather the storm. Again, the Garden Trellis Company was well equipped to carry out the job’s particular requirements. We have an indoor paint shop with enclosed spray booths and temperature and humidity controlled drying rooms. This allows the painted joinery to be prepared in the best possible conditions and ensures the most attractive and durable finish.

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