Thomas Verity, Architect of Lord’s Pavilion

Martin Chandler | 9:19am GMT 21 January 2024

Published: 1998
Pages: 24
Author: Rosenwater, Irving
Publisher: Christopher Saunders
Rating: 3.5 stars

Irving Rosenwater did not like mistakes, and this monograph, one of his most impressive productions, at least in part seems to have resulted from one being made within the pages of a Sunday newspaper.

The mistake concerned the identity of the architect who was responsible, in 1889, for the design of the new (and still in situ) Lord’s pavilion. The man who prepared the drawings was Thomas Verity, a distinguished architect who, sadly, passed away at the early age of 53 after his iconic project had been in use for just a single season. The Sunday newspaper that became the subject of Rosenwater’s ire had attributed responsibility for the work to Frank Thomas Verity, the son and associate of Thomas Verity, but most certainly not the man who carried out the work on the Lord’s project.

Two fascinating drawings that are reproduced on high quality art paper within this large format monograph. The first is Thomas’s original drawing of the new pavilion, and the other a drawing of the old pavilion, this time done by Thomas Frank, so perhaps a degree of confusion can be understood, even if not readily forgiven.

But it does turn out that the late twentieth century journalist was not quite alone in making the error so, with the investigative zeal that no doubt at one stage tempted the young Rosenwater to spend a short time working in a solicitor’s office, he sets about establishing an unarguable case for his proposition something that he, by dint as always of extensive research well beyond normal cricketing sources, accomplishes with some aplomb.