Late last year, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground, one of the most historic sporting sites in the whole of London.

We started the tour in the museum, a fantastic two-floor space full of cricketing memorabilia, including bats, balls, kit, photography and some great paintings. I overheard one awestruck Australian teenager stage whisper to his father, “Daad! This is the kind of museum I could spend time in!”

After we’d had a short time to peruse the objects, a guide arrived to take us on the tour. Clearly an expert on his subject, and possessing a fine sense of humour, our guide really enhanced the tour for us. As well as being hugely knowledgeable (answering any questions we had), he also tailored the tour to the group: the day we went, there were four Indian tourists, a host of Australians, some British people, and one Irish guy. Perhaps about 30 people, all with varying knowledge of the game; yet I don’t think anyone was bored by too many simple facts, or left behind because he assumed too much cricketing knowledge.

On the tour, we saw the famous Long Room, designed by Thomas Verity (also responsible for the design of the Royal Albert Hall) lined with portraits of well-known figures from the game; the Committee Room, where all the big issues about the game have been discussed, including the laws of cricket; and the Dressing Rooms, with the fascinating Lord’s Honours Boards on the walls, and balconies offering impressive views of the pitch.

We then left the Grade II*-listed building to watch some Real Tennis being played in the Lord’s Tennis Court (a very confusing game like a cross between tennis and squash, but with very hard balls!); spent some time in the stands, and returned to the museum with our guide. He showed us his museum highlights among the objects on display, including the tiny Ashes urn.

Finally, we headed out to the award-winning J P Morgan Media Centre, an incredible, futuristic building which is gorgeous both inside and out. It was great to be able to sit in the comfy white workspace of sports journalists with such an impeccable view of the ground.

The Lord’s tour took about 1 hour 40 minutes, and I loved every minute. I was struck by how much history and culture you could learn about in one place. Starting with the beautiful Victorian paintings in the Long Room and finishing in the white minimalism of the Media Centre, it felt like we’d been on a journey though history! My husband, more of a cricket fan than a history fan, particularly enjoyed seeing the Lord’s Honours Boards in the Dressing Rooms.

We can’t wait to go back to Lord’s to see the Archery, one of the Olympic sports we were lucky enough to get tickets for. Being part of the London 2012 Olympic Games will just be another incredible chapter in the history of this wonderful venue.

Fancy going and seeing Lord’s Cricket Ground yourself? You can book a Lord’s Tour on visitlondon.com I attended this tour at the invitation of Lord’s.

It’s going to be a big, nail-biting weekend for cricket fans in the capital.

With the Ashes tournament currently standing at 1-1, all eyes will be on the Brit Oval in London (and the skies above the city!) from Thursday. Can Freddie and the rest of the squad repeat their performance of four years ago, and take cricket’s big prize?

If you don’t have tickets for the final Ashes test at The Brit Oval, and you don’t fancy shelling out for Sky Sports, you can still see every ball of the forthcoming decider, for free, in our fair city.

Three sites are offering big screen coverage from Thursday to Monday, completely free of charge. And if you’re dragging along a non-cricket fan, there’s a mix of shops, bars and restaurants by each of the screens to keep them happy.

1. Cardinal Place, Victoria Street, London, SW1
2. New Street Square, New Fetter Lane, London EC4
3. Bankside Mix, Southwark Street London, SE1

Alternatively, you can head along to Regent’s Park on Saturday and Sunday and enjoy the match at the npower Cricket in the Park event.

As well as all the action on the big screen, there’ll be fun coaching zones for wannabe cricket stars, and a kids’ zone with games, fancy dress, face-painting… Everything you need to distract the rest of the family, while you get on with cheering the team to victory.

Check out our favourite Sports Pubs and Bars in London for further Ashes-watching inspiration; and let us know if you have any other tips for watching the Ashes…