Travel guide for West Ham United and the London Stadium
Below you will find your perfect guide for going to England to watch West Ham United at London Stadium!
Headlines from the travel guide:
- London Stadium
- Matchday at the London Stadium
- West Ham United history
- Book a trip to the London Stadium
WEST HAM HONOURS
FA Cups: 3 (last 1980)
Cup Winners’ Cup: 1 (1965)
LONDON STADIUM
Pitch: 105 x 68m
Opening match: 7 augusti 2016 (West Ham – Juventus)
London Stadium
Queen Elizabeth Park Stratford
London
E20 2ST
LONDON STADIUM HISTORY
West Ham played at the Boleyn Ground, or Upton Park, since 1904. They played their final league match there, against Manchester United, in May 2016 when they won 3-2.
Their new home is 6km to the west, the London Stadium. It was built for the London 2012 Olympics and West Ham have agreed a deal to become the stadium’s main tenant.
There have been extensive renovations made to the stadium to convert it for football use with a new roof, corporate areas and refreshment facilities. However, it can still be used for athletics meetings due to retractable seating.
LONDON STADIUM DIRECTIONS
Train:
Take local trains to Stratford and Stratford International, both a 15 minute walk from the stadium.
Underground:
DLR to Stratford and Stratford International, 15 minute walk, or District line to Bow Road, 30 minute walk.
Buses:
Lines 97 to Westfield Avenue, line 339 to London Aquatics Centre.
Please check www.tfl.gov.uk – Transport for London.
LONDON STADIUM BARS
The nearest places are in Westfield Stratford City shopping centre a five minute walk from the stadium
The Cow, 4 Montfichet Road.
Stadium Bar Louge and Terrace at Holiday Inn, 10 Montfichet Road
Tap East, 7 International Square.
Wahaca Mexical restaurant, 6 Chestnut Plaza.
Jamie’s Italian, 158 The Street
LONDON STADIUM TOUR
Launched in 2016, you can enjoy a self-guided multimedia tour of the stadium that hosted the 2012 Olympics.
£17.00 – adults
£14.00 – students and Senior Citizens
£10.00 – children
Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £48.00
Booking at www.london-stadium.com
Opening times:
Daily: 10:00 to 15:00
Matchday tours are available. Please note there are no tours the day before matches, and some days have restricted availability.
WEST HAM STORE OPENING TIMES
Stadium Store
Queen Elizabeth Park
Stratford
London
E20 2 ST
Monday – Friday: 9:30 to 17:00
Saturday: 9:00 to 17:00
Sunday: 11:00 – 17:00
On match days open from 9:00 until kick off and half an hour after the final whistle.
Lakeside Thurrock
Unit 71
Lakeside Shopping Centre
Thurrock
RM20 2ZP
Monday – Friday: 10:00 to 22:00
Saturday: 09:00 to 21:00
Sunday: 11:00 to 17:00
Liberty Romford
Unit GL1A
Liberty Shopping Centre
Romford
RM1 3RL
Monday – Saturday: 9:30 to 18:00
Sunday: 11:00 to 17:00
WEST HAM TRAINING GROUND
West Ham’s training ground is named Chadwell Heath and is close to Romford in the eastern outskirts of London.
To get there, from Romford railway station take a bus to Barking. Get off at the Saville Road where the ground is at the end of the street.
Do not expect autographs at the gates. For security reasons, the players are advised to drive through without stopping.
WEST HAM CLUB HISTORY
West Ham were originally the factory team Thames Ironworks, formed in 1895 and this explains the nicknames “The Irons” and”The Hammers”.
In the early years they played their home games at Hermit Road Ground (1895-96) and Browning Road (1896-97). The club then moved to the Memorial Ground and stayed there for seven years.
The club turned professional in 1898 and were elected to the Southern League. In 1900 the club decided to make themselves independent of the factory and took the name West Ham United.
West Ham: first Wembley final
After World War I the club moved into the Football League and started playing in the Second Division. 1923 was particularly eventful. In the first FA Cup final held in the newly-built Wembley, West Ham lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers and in the same year, the club made their debut in the First Division. The first home game was a 1-0 derby victory against Arsenal.
The following decades did not offer up any major highlights and the club spent most of the time in the Second Division. But on September 8, 1958 the doors opened on a new era. West Ham, who had just moved up to the First Division, witnessed the debut of a young man named Bobby Moore.
In 1963, West Ham reached the final of the FA Youth Cup for the third time and it was also third time lucky: over two games they beat Liverpool 6-5. The following year the club won their first FA Cup with victory against Preston 3-2. And for the third consecutive year there was continued success: West Ham beat TSV Munich 1860 2-0 at Wembley to win the Cup Winners Cup in 1965. Both goals were scored by Alan Sealey.
West Ham World Cup winners
West Ham also played a big part in England’s World Cup victory on home soil in 1966. The England captain was Bobby Moore. In addition, all the English goals in the final against West Germany were scored by two players from West Ham: Geoff Hurst (3) and Martin Peters (1). No other player has managed to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
After nearly 17 years in a West Ham shirt Bobby Moore left the club on March 14, 1974. He went to Fulham and in the following year played against his old teammates in the FA Cup Final. West Ham won 2-0 with two goals by Alan Taylor. The following year, the club once again reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup. This time, however, they lost 4-2 against Anderlecht in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
West Ham won their third FA Cup in 1980. The club played in the Second Division at that time but they defeated the hot favorites Arsenal 1-0. This triumph was followed up the following year with a record-breaking league championship and promotion to the First Division.
The closest West Ham have come to a league title is when they finished in third place in 1986, with Liverpool and Everton eventually proving too strong and finishing above them.
A number of the last decade’s best English players have come from West Ham: Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe.
WEST HAM UNITED FACTS
The origins of West Ham’s kit was the result of a remarkable running competition in 1899. William Dove, father of Thames Ironworks player Charlie Dove, was challenged to a race by four players from Aston Villa. The quartet underestimated their opponent who was a talented sprinter and lost the race – as well as a bet on the outcome.
When the crestfallen losers could not pay, they gave William Dove a set of Aston Villa match kit instead. The generous father donated the prize to his son, and Charlie Dove and his teammates then decided to play in Villa’s colours.
Vic Watson is West Ham’s greatest goal-scorer of all time. During the years 1920 – 1935, he scored 326 goals in the league and FA Cup. When Leeds were beaten 8-2 on February 9, 1929 Vic scored six of the goals …
Billy Bonds made the most number of appearances for the club. During a career that lasted more than 20 years (1967 – 1988), he appeared in no less than 781 league and cup games.
West Ham long-serving managers
Over a period of 87 years (1902 – 1989) West Ham had just five managers. None stayed for less than ten years and the longest serving was Syd King, 1902 to 1932.
West Ham supporters were furious when Syd Puddefoot was sold to Falkirk for £5,000 in 1921 – then a record sum for a transfer between an English and a Scottish club.
West Ham fans’ well-known song is “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”:
I’m dreaming dreams, I’m scheming schemes,
I’m building castles high.
They’re born anew, Their days are few,
Just like a sweet butterfly.
And as the daylight is dawning,
They come again in the morning.
I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high,
Nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams,
They fade and die.
Fortune’s always hiding,
I’ve looked everywhere,
I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.