Sydney Cricket Ground Members' Stand and Lady Members' Stand, Victorian grandstands at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia
The Members' Stand and Lady Members' Stand are two-level grandstands at the Sydney Cricket Ground, entered through Gate A on Driver Avenue. Both are built of timber, brick and cast iron columns and trusses, with ornate cast iron balustrades and green painted corrugated iron roofs. The Members' Stand incorporates an earlier three-storey stuccoed brick club room at the rear; the Lady Members' Stand, also called the Ladies' Pavilion, has a three-storey members' room behind it.
The first Members' Stand was built in 1878 in the north-west corner of the ground. It was rebuilt on its current site to a design by John Kirkpatrick at a cost of £6,625. On 3 May 1896 Viscountess Hampden set the foundation stone of the Lady Members' Stand, which opened later that year together with a concrete cycling track circling the inside of the ground.
The stands show how sporting venues in Victorian times were divided by gender, with separate areas for male and female spectators. This division reflects the social customs that existed at public venues during that era.
Visitors can reach these stands from Gate A along Driver Avenue, where signage guides access. The structures are well-maintained, and the surroundings are easy to navigate, making it straightforward to find these heritage buildings at the Cricket Ground.
A particularly striking feature is the ornate cast iron detailing that showcases the builders' craftsmanship. These elements make the stands notable examples of Victorian sporting architecture, with such quality rarely preserved elsewhere.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,593 contributors worldwide.