A Thing of Beauty: The Founding of the Sydney Cricket Ground

A Thing of Beauty: The Founding of the Sydney Cricket Ground is an exquisite two-volume work that tells the remarkable story of how a small group of men turned land that was once a mix of sand and swamp into the finest cricket ground in the world.

A Thing of Beauty is published in association with Venues NSW and the SCG, and tells how the men who built the ground quickly learned that maintaining, let alone improving, a major sports arena is an expensive business. As a result, through the 1890s, sports such as cycling and rugby and events such as school carnivals and fireworks displays took place alongside the big cricket matches.

In 1895, champion American cyclist Arthur Zimmerman raced in front of a record SCG crowd. An asphalt cycling track was then built around the perimeter of the cricket field, and lights were added soon after.

Three consecutive Ashes cricket series caused huge controversy. The first, in 1891-92, might have been a disaster but for the work of SCG secretary Sydney Fairland. The second, three years later, was backed by the SCG Trustees and made a fortune. The third, in 1897-98, led to the demise of the SCG's 'Ground Committee' and to a larger involvement of politicians in the venue's administration.