History and description

In the early 20th century, the West Ham Football Club were forced to look for a new home after an agreement with the Catholic authorities for its use ended. They found a bare field used by a Roman Catholic school and soon reached an agreement with the authorities. West Ham played their first match at Boleyn Ground on September 1st, 1904. Just over 10,000 spectators witnessed the home side beat Millwall 3-0.

A house that was adjacent to the Boleyn Ground, called Boleyn Castle, is said to have been home to Anne Boleyn. The current name of the ground, Upton Park, is more commonly used today.

In 1919, a new East Stand was built and in 1925, a new West Stand and terracing were added to the short ends of the ground. This increased capacity to about 40,000 people.

The Boleyn Ground was heavily damaged during World War II when it was hit by a V-1 bomb. However, it was soon rebuilt.

In 1961, a roof was added to the North Bank, which meant that all stands had cover. The ground underwent its last major pre-90s change in 1969, when a new East Stand was built.

Boleyn Ground recorded its highest attendance of 42,322 on a match with Tottenham Hotspur in 1970.

The stadium underwent a major redevelopment in the 1990s when new stands were constructed at the short ends and other stands were refurbished.

Despite these renovations, Boleyn Ground remained a limited ground with few options for expansion. West Ham therefore started looking into the option of moving away to a new ground, with the London Olympic Stadium quickly appearing as the prime candidate.

After many bids and long negotiations, West Ham were finally given a 99-year lease on the Olympic Stadium in 2013. After a lengthy redevelopment process, the team moved into their new home in the summer of 2016.

West Ham played their last game at Boleyn Ground on 10 May 2016. They received Manchester United for a league fixture and lost 3-2.

The demolition of the stadium commenced in September 2016. The stadium will be replaced by a housing development.