Father Time (Lord's)

Father Time
Map
51°31′44″N 0°10′20″W / 51.52878°N 0.17219°W / 51.52878; -0.17219
LocationLord's Cricket Ground, London
TypeWeathervane
Height6 ft 6 in[1] (1.98 m)
Completion date1926[1]

Father Time is a weathervane at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, in the shape of Father Time removing the bails from a wicket. The full weathervane is 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall, with the figure of Father Time standing at 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m).[1] It was given to Lord's in 1926 by the architect of the Grandstand, Sir Herbert Baker.[1][2] The symbolism of the figure derives from Law 12(3) of the Laws of Cricket: "After the call of Time, the bails shall be removed from both wickets." The weathervane is frequently referred to as Old Father Time in television and radio broadcasts, but "Old" is not part of its official title.[3]

Father Time was originally located atop the old Grand Stand. It was wrenched from its position during the Blitz, when it became entangled in the steel cable of a barrage balloon,[1][4] but was repaired and returned to its previous place. In 1992 it was struck by lightning, and the subsequent repairs were featured on the children's television programme Blue Peter.[1][5] Father Time was permanently relocated to a structure adjacent to the Mound Stand in 1996, when the Grand Stand was demolished and rebuilt.[1] It was again damaged in March 2015 by the high winds of Cyclone Niklas, which necessitated extensive repair by specialists.[6]

In 1969 Father Time became the subject of a poem, "Lord's Test", by the Sussex and England cricketer John Snow.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Father Time – biog", Lord's, archived from the original on 8 June 2011, retrieved 6 June 2010
  2. ^ Kidd, Patrick (18 November 2009), "A brief history of Father Time at Lord's", The Times, retrieved 6 June 2010[dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Father Time and the Lord's Slope", Lord's, 28 January 2014, archived from the original on 1 December 2017, retrieved 30 March 2015
  4. ^ Williamson, Martin (6 May 2006), "Lord's under attack", Cricinfo, retrieved 6 June 2010
  5. ^ Brown, Matt (8 January 2007), "London's weather vanes", Time Out, archived from the original on 6 June 2011, retrieved 6 June 2010
  6. ^ "Lord's Father Time weather vane damaged by high winds", BBC Sport, retrieved 30 March 2015
  7. ^ Snow, John (1976), Cricket Rebel: An Autobiography, Hamlyn Publishing Ltd, p. 77