Boleyn Ground

The Boleyn Ground, more often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium in Upton Park, East London, England. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s. The seating capacity of the ground at closure was 35,016.

From the 2016–17 season, West Ham United have played their home matches at London Stadium in nearby Stratford. The last first-class match played at the Boleyn Ground was on 10 May 2016, a 3–2 West Ham United win in the Premier League against Manchester United.

The stadium was demolished in 2016 to make way for a new development.

History

West Ham United took up tenancy of the Boleyn Ground from local club Old Castle Swifts in 1904, after the two clubs amalgamated. West Ham rented Green Street House and grounds in East Ham from the Roman Catholic Church from around 1912. Green Street House was known locally as Boleyn Castle because of its imposing nature and an association with Anne Boleyn, who had either stayed at or, as some believe, owned the house. Hence the ground became known as the Boleyn Ground. However, over the years the ground was more often referred to as Upton Park, after the Upton Park, London area where it is located.

In August 1944, a V-1 flying bomb fell on the south-west corner of the pitch. This forced West Ham to play its matches at other grounds while repairs were undertaken, but it did not affect performances as West Ham managed nine consecutive victories. Upon their return to the ground in December 1944, they lost 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur.