Lord's: The Home of Cricket. Nothing sets the heart a tingle like the first morning of a Lord's Ashes Test. For spectators and players alike, Lord's is the epitome of cricket, and indeed Englishness. Simultaneously arcane and super-modern, accessible and exclusive, buttoned-up, repressed and an utter joy, Lord's is like nothing else on earth.

Founded by Thomas Lord in 1787 on the site of what is now Dorset Square, Lord's relocated to Lisson Grove in 1810 and then to its present spot in St John's Wood in 1814.

Today, Lord's is home to the highly exclusive Marylebone Cricket Club (you'll recognise their egg and bacon striped ties), the Middlesex County Cricket Club, and until 2005 (before they decamped to Dubai) the International Cricket Council.

Notable features for visitors to take in include the stunning and pioneering Media Centre, the Old Father Time weather vane, the members only pavilion and of course the museum, which houses a whole variety of cricketing paraphernalia. There's kit from the likes of Trumper, Bradman, Hobbs and WG, and even a stuffed sparrow struck by batsman Jehingir Khan of Cambridge University in 1936.

There is simply nothing more exciting than a Test at Lord's but tickets are hard to come by and pretty pricey. For a cheaper taste of the home of Cricket, catch Middlesex playing there on a sunny weekend. You can pick up some nice food from the delis in St John's Wood and wander around this historic ground without the usual hordes. Beware, however, the cricket bores: "When I was chatting to Alec Bedser etc". Nobody's interested Steve.