A History of The Brit Oval
An introduction to The Brit Oval
Founded in 1845, The Brit Oval is the world’s oldest Test Match cricket ground and one of the most famous international cricket grounds. Situated at Kennington in London (nearest tube is the Oval although the ground can be easily reached from Vauxhall), it is home to the Surrey County Cricket Club. In recent years The Oval has been officially known as the 'Fosters Oval', 'AMP Oval,' and presently the 'Brit Insurance Oval' (or 'Brit Oval') thanks to numerous commercial sponsorship deals.
The Oval in 1810
The Oval is one of England’s most historic cricket grounds and it was here that England played their first Test at home in 1880 against Australia in which they claimed a memorable win. Many more highlights have occurred at The Oval, including the first ever double century which was made by Australian Billy Murdoch.
The ground has played host to many test matches between England and every other test playing nation with the exception of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
The Oval, however, has not only been used as a cricket ground. Football and baseball matches have also been played at the ground, including the first-ever FA cup final in 1872.
The History of The Brit Oval
In 1844, The Oval was a market garden, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. In 1845, the Duchy granted a lease of the land 'to convert it into a subscription Cricket Ground' for 31 years at a rent of £120 per annum and so Surrey County Cricket Club was formed.
In 1880, the first ever Test match in England was held at the Oval against Australia and two years later, Australia won the Ashes Test by 7 runs within 2 days. After such a humiliating defeat to the Aussies, The Sporting Times printed a mock obituary for English cricket which brought about the creation of The Ashes trophy which is still challenged today.
South Africa became the 2nd visiting team to play a Test match against England in 1907. Since then the West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and most recently, in 1998, Sri Lanka have all played a Test match at the venue.
In the Second World War, The Brit Oval was converted into a prisoner of war camp although it was never put to use as such.
The Oval during World War 2
In 1973, the ground hosted its first ODI which was between England and the West Indies. Since then, many important international ODIs have taken place at The Oval, including the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups and 5 of the 15 2004 ICC Champions Trophy matches, including the final.
Up to now, there have been no floodlit international matches played at the ground but Surrey have played a number of floodlit one-day matches and The Brit Oval is in fact the first sports ground to use floodlights, as gas-lamps were used as far back as 1889.
The Oval circa 1965
The Redevelopment of The Brit Oval
The two ends of The Brit Oval are the Pavilion End and the Vauxhall End. Redevelopment began on the Vauxhall End of The Brit Oval after the 2002 cricket season finished. Improvements included the demolishment of the out of date Surridge, Fender, Jardine and Peter May north stands. These were replaced with the OCS Stand, a single, four-tier grandstand. Work on the OCS Stand was finished in 2005 and the ground’s capacity was increased to 23,000.
The New OCS Stand
Future Plans
Plans were announced in 2007 to redevelop the Pavilion End. The ambitious plans, which include the replacement of the Lock, Laker and Peter May South stands with the creation of a new stand, including a 168 bedroom, 4-star hotel, have been designed by award-winning architects HOK and will reinforce the ground’s position as a world-class sporting venue.
The Brit Oval was granted permission in June 2009 to go ahead with the plans after a drawn-out planning enquiry after the Health and Safety Executive raised concerns over the site’s proximity to the famous Kennington gasometers. The new Grandstand will increase the ground’s capacity by an additional 2,000 seats to 25,000 and the new hospitality suites are designed to change into hotel rooms on non-match days. The Surrey Tavern at the ground’s entrance is to be demolished and a new pedestrian plaza to be created in its place to improve access to the ground.
Football and Other Sports at The Brit Oval
Before football had its own national stadium, The Brit Oval played an important role in the historical development of the sport. For a long time, football was played in this part of London; during the latter part of the eighteenth century, “The Gymnastic Society”, which is debatably the world’s first football club, met on a regular basis on Kennington Common.
Football at The Oval
On March 16 1872, the first FA Cup match was played at The Brit Oval in which The Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0. All successive FA Cup finals (with the exception of 1873) were held at The Brit Oval until 1892.
The cricket ground also played host to the first international football match which took place on March 5 1879 between England and Scotland and was organised by the Football Association.
As well as international cricket and football, the ground also hosted the second ever Rugby Union international between England and Scotland in 1872, as well as hockey fixtures, and more recently, it Australian Rules football, which takes place each year in October.
Hospitality at The Brit Oval
The Brit Oval, the home of Surrey Cricket, boasts some of the most modern hospitality facilities of any cricket ground, allowing you to entertain clients at both international and county cricket matches. Keith Prowse is the official hospitality provider for The Brit Oval and our exclusive range of hospitality packages are available in the fabulous OCS Stand and historic Pavilion End.
The OCS Stand offers a choice of hospitality in the First and Second Floor Lounges, the Executive Boxes, which offer unrivalled views of the pitch, and the Roof Terrace, providing panoramic views of London’s most famous landmarks.
There are plenty of options when it comes to entertaining in the Pavilion End too. Hospitality packages are available in the Lock and Laker Boxes, the Laker Restaurant, the Bedser Boxes and the Pavilion Rooms.
The Oval today
For more information about hospitality at The Brit Oval, please call 0845 125 4880 or click here to email us.