West Ham Stadiums

Here is a full history of stadiums both Thames Ironworks and West Ham United have called home since 1895.

Under each stadium there is a brief history of the location before a full record of the club's performances there. Simply click on the stadium name to view a more comprehensive record of the club's history there, including fixtures, results, competitions records and lots more. =

If a stadium's name is red it means he doesn't yet have a West Ham Wiki page. If a stadium's name is blue it means the stadium history is available to view.

Hermit Road

Located in Canning Town, Hermit Road was the first home ground of Thames Ironworks. It was previously the home of Old St Luke's from 1892 and remained in use following the club's merger with Castle Swifts, renaming as Old Castle Swifts for the 1894-1895 season. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of Hermit Road in the summer of 1895 after Old Castle Swifts was wound up.

Future manager, Syd King, would later describe Hermit Road as a "cinder heap" and "barren waste." This was because the ground employed drainage sluices, which made it appear like it was surrounded by a moat.

Thames Ironworks were due to play their first competitive fixture as a club and at Hermit Road against Chatman in a preliminary qualifying round of the FA Cup in 1895. However, Chatham rated Hermit Road as unsuitable and insisted the game be played at their ground in Kent instead. Ironworks lost that game 5-0.

However, Hermit Road would go on to become one of the first grounds in England to experiment with artificial lighting, allowing for matches to be played after dark. This was made possible by work undertaken by Thames Ironworks engineers and equipment, giving the club a level of notoriety across the country.

Thames Ironworks were eventually handed an eviction notice from Hermit Road in October 1896 due to violating their tenancy agreement by charging admission fees and building a perimeter fence and pavilion. It would mean the club would be forced to play their next four fixtures at their opponents' grounds until a new home could be found.

Browning Road

After the eviction from Hermit Road, Thames Ironworks chairman, Arnold Hills, was able to lease a temporary piece of land for the team, located at Browning Road, East Ham.

However, the club struggled to gain much support during their very short stint there and it was agreed that land closer to home would need to be located quickly.

Thames Ironworks' first game at Browning Road was a 3-2 victory over Ilford in March 1897. Their last came just a month later - a 1-1 draw with Barking Woodville.

Memorial Grounds

Arnold Hills earmarked a large piece of land in Canning Town as a potential new permanent home for Thames Ironworks, and so he would eventually spend £20,000 of his own money to construct the Memorial Grounds.

The Memorial Grounds was opening on Jubilee Day - 22 June 1897 - to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's coronation. It wasn't just a football pitch, though. Memorial Grounds also boasted a cycle track, a cinder running track, tennis courts and one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in England at the time. With a capacity of 100,000, it was claimed at the time that it was "good enough to stage an English Cup Final."

As a result of its extensive facilities, the Memorial Grounds also became home for National Cycle Union events, hosted speedway and motorcycle racing. It was also the first football ground to stage a boxing match, when Johnny Summers beat Jimmy Britt in a 20-round contest in July 1909.

Arnold Hills also secured an agreement with London, Tilbury and Southend Railway to build a station at Manor Road. It would lead to the construction of a four platform train station, which opened in February 1901 as West Ham station.

Memorial Grounds would remain the home of Thames Ironworks, and later West Ham United, until 1904.

Boleyn Ground (Upton Park)

The Boleyn Ground, most commonly known as Upton Park, would be West Ham United's home from 1904 until 2016. It earned its name thanks to an association with Anne Boleyn, who was believed to have either stayed at or lived at nearby Green Street House, which was known locally as Boleyn Castle. However, due to its location in Upton Park, London, it was also often referred to as just Upton Park, especially by opposing fans.

During World War II, a V-1 flying bomb fell on the south-west corner of the pitch in August 1944, which forced West Ham to play matches at other grounds while repairs were made. During that time away from home, West Ham would win nine matches in a row. However, their first game back at the Boleyn Ground saw them lose 1-0 to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Over the years, the Boleyn Ground was renovated and redeveloped into 35,000 all-seater stadium before the club announced it would be leaving to move into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford after the 2012 London Olympic games.

The move would see West Ham agree to sell the Boleyn Ground to developers for demolishing and the building of modern housing, while West Ham would sign a tenancy agreement to host their games at the Olympic Stadium, which had a maximum capacity of 66,000.

West Ham's last ever game at the Boleyn Ground came in May 2016 as the Hammers ran out 3-2 winners over Manchester United in the Premier League, in an eventful and emotional night that would prove to be a fitting farewell to the club's home for 112 years.

London Stadium

In what would prove to be a controversial move amongst neutrals, taxpayers and West Ham United supports alike, West Ham moved to London Stadium in 2016 after signing a 99-year lease to become primary tenants of the stadium, agreeing to pay £2.5million-a-year rent, although tenancy would also be awarded to UK Athletics in order to preserve the stadium's roots as an Olympic venue.

The stadium is also used for many other sporting and cultural events outside of the football season, including athletics, cricket, baseball, motorsport, rugby league, rugby union and music concerts.

West Ham played their first competitive game at London Stadium was a Europa League qualifier against NK Domzale in August 2016, which the Hammers won 3-0 in front of a sold-out capacity of 54,000.

Despite the stadium having a maximum capacity of 66,000, a reduced capacity has been in place since the stadium's reopening due to additional conversion works being undertaken and local infrastructure concerns. That limit has since been expanded to 62,500, making it the biggest Premier League stadium in London.