Lord’s pillars for sale

Press, 5 August 1985, Page 13

Lord’s pillars for sale

ROBIN CHARTERIS London correspondent . Cast iron pillars from the famous old tavern at Lord’s cricket ground in London could soon be holding up part of a new pavilion at Auckland’s Eden Park — but only if the Auckland Cricket Society gets its act together. A London cricket enthusiast, aged 76, has accepted an offer from the Auckland supporters’ group to buy the historic pillars, but is annoyed at the lack of further response. “I have already been offered twice as much for the pillars by a man in the West Indies and the Aussies are after them as well,” said Commander C. R. Fos-ter-Kemp, whose home in St John’s wood is but a cricket

ball toss from Lord’s. “It seems to be taking the Auckland society two months and more to reply to my letters, and I have now taken the matter up with the New Zealand High Commission here,” he said. Commander Foster-Kemp — he likes to retain the title he earned while serving in Lord Admiral Fraser’s Pacific fleet during World War II when he enjoyed “happy associations” with New Zealanders — is anxious that the 3m-high pillars find their way to Eden Park. They would help to preserve the long cricket links between the two famous grounds, he said. Lord’s tavern, built in 1868, was demolished in 1966 to make way for a new

pavilion. It had 10 cast iron pillars holding up a small pavilion and scoreboard above. The bar of the tavern was a popular place for cricket followers to congregate, according to Commander Foster-Kemp, who also had a career spanning 52 years in the film industry, latterly as a producer. He bought several souvenirs of the tavern, including a number of pillars which he stored in his garage. Two years ago, he showed them to visiting Auckland cricket supporters, who expressed interest in acquiring them for the new Eden Park stand. Negotiations had gone on slowly from then, Commander Foster-Kemp said. In correspondence with Mr T.

W. Lindsay, of the Auckland Cricket Society, a price of “either $lOO or £5O” had been agreed upon. “A wealthy Jamaican has since offered me £lOO for them, but I am standing by my offer to Auckland, in the meantime at least.” Commander Foster-Kemp says it is lucky the pillars are still available. Two others from the members’ luncheon room at Lord’s that he also bought were stolen from his garage, right outside his bedroom window. “These jolly things take three men to shift them, too. They must have used a gang and a truck. “I just hope the Auckland people do something soon, or these ones might go too,” he said.