Artillery Ground
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Honourable Artillery Company Cricket Club
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 Interactive map of Artillery Ground | |
| Location | Finsbury, Islington |
|---|---|
| Home club | London Cricket Club Honourable Artillery Company Cricket Club |
| Establishment | by 1730 |
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is an open space originally set aside for archery and later known also as a cricket venue. Today it is used for military exercises, cricket, rugby and football matches. It belongs to the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), whose headquarters, Armoury House, overlook the grounds.
Origins
From 1498, about 11 acres (4.5 hectare) of the 23-acre (9.3 ha) Bunhill Fields were set aside for the practice of archery and shooting. Today's 8-acre (3.2 ha) site was given to the Artillery Company in 1638.[1]
Cricket
Although the earliest definite cricket match at the Artillery Ground, between London and Surrey, took place in August 1730, it is believed to have been used to host matches as early as 1725. London used the ground regularly, as did England throughout much of the 18th century.[2] There were five matches recorded on the ground in 1731, three against Dartford and two against Croydon and the ground became the most important in the country for a time.[2][3]
By the 1770s the HAC was attempting to block cricket being played on the ground, and the last significant matches there were two between England and Hampshire, one in 1773 and the other in 1778.[2][3]
Cricket was restarted on the ground in 1846 but only members of the HAC were allowed to play. The HAC Cricket Club was founded in 1860.[2]
Later history
On 15 September 1784 Vincenzo Lunardi, flew a balloon from the Artillery Ground, the first such flight in England.[4]
The area is now used for rugby and football in the winter and cricket in the summer by HAC teams including HAC RFC.[5][6] Notably, it hosted a rugby union match between Saracens and the USA national team on 9 November 2010, won 20–6 by Saracens.[7] It is also, as a source of revenue for the HAC, rented out for parties and events including the annual Cityrace 5 km run through the city's streets.[8]
References
- ↑ Anthony Higmore (1804). The History of the Honourable Artillery Company of the City of London. Honourable Artillery Company. p. 64.
- 1 2 3 4 "Artillery Ground". CricInfo. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- 1 2 "Honourable Artillery Company Ground, Finsbury". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 January 2019.(subscription required)
- ↑ Rumens, Carol (13 October 2008). "Poem of the Week: To a Louse". Guardian Books. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ↑ "Cricket Club". The Honourable Artillery Company. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ↑ "HAC RFC". City Rugby. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ↑ "Sarries beat USA in the City" (Press release). Saracens Ltd. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ↑ "Race Information". Cityrace 2018. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
51°31′19″N 0°05′19″W / 51.5219°N 0.0887°W / 51.5219; -0.0887