Leicestershire County Cricket Club purchased the land where Grace Road now stands in 1877 from the Duke of Rutland, investing the substantial sum of £40,000 to develop a cricket club, athletic track, and hotel. The first match at the ground took place just three months later, with Leicestershire playing a touring Australian team. Despite popular belief, the road’s name does not honor the famous cricketer W. G. Grace but rather Grace Margaret Yearby, the daughter of Edward John Yearby, a local property owner.