Top rating for MCC Museum from 'Time Out'

Date released: 7 June 2006

The new edition of 'Time Out' magazine praises the MCC Museum, at Lord's, as one of the best small museums in London.

It is the top-placed sports museum in the 'Time Out' review and, overall, it is rated fourth out of the 50 museums featured in the new edition - which is published today (Wednesday 7th June).

Readers of the magazine, the capital's leading leisure and entertainment guide, are encouraged to visit the Museum to see its extraordinary collection of cricket art and artefacts - including the world-renowned Ashes urn and the famous 'stuffed sparrow' from 1936. Other exhibits include a kneecap of the great Denis Compton, and clothing and equipment used by many of the game's greatest players, ranging from WG Grace to Shane Warne.

The displays in the MCC Museum - the oldest sporting museum in the world - benefit from the fact that Marylebone Cricket Club has been collecting cricket memorabilia for almost 150 years. It is still enhancing its Collection; recent additions include the bats and balls used by England's Andrew Flintoff, Australia's Bob Massie and South Africa's Makhaya Ntini as they earned their places on the famous 'honours boards' at Lord's.

MCC's Secretary & Chief Executive, Roger Knight (right), said: "I am delighted that Lord's has earned this accolade from 'Time Out' magazine. The recent improvements to the Museum have been really impressive, so I am particularly pleased that it is now receiving the recognition it deserves. I would like to congratulate Adam Chadwick (MCC's Curator) and Glenys Williams (MCC's Archivist & Historian), and their colleagues, for all the hard work that has helped to earn the Museum today's acclaim."

On matchdays, admission to the MCC Museum costs £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.

The Museum can also be visited during the Tours of Lord's, which are available all year round and, in addition to the Museum, cover areas such as the Pavilion, the players' dressing rooms and the NatWest Media Centre. Each Tour lasts around 1 hour 40 minutes and costs £8 for adults, £6 for senior citizens and £5 for children.

In total, the MCC Museum attracts around 50,000 visitors per year.

Other small museums singled out by the magazine include the Theatre Museum, the Museum of London and the Design Museum.