How old is stamford bridge

For the first 27 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively for the traditionally popular Victorian pursuit of athletics meetings by the London Athletic Club. In the ownership of the modest ground changed hands when Mr Henry Ausgustus Gus Mears and his brother, Mr J T Mears, obtained the deeds, having previously acquired additional land formerly a large market garden with the aim of hosting a newer sport they had fallen in love with - football - which had swept the north of England and the Midlands and was growing in interest rapidly in the capital city.

The new arena they commissioned on the The other sides formed a vast, open bowl with thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the Piccadilly Line underground railway supporting the high terracing for standing spectators.. The capacity was originally planned to be , and was the second largest in country behind a decaying Crystal Palace stadium in south London - at the time the FA Cup final venue.

Initially the stadium was offered to nearby Fulham FC to play there. They turned down the chance and so instead a new side, Chelsea Football Club, was born in March and moved into the new Stamford Bridge stadium for the start of the season a few months later.

It was quickly a success with a 60, crowd in the first year, promotion to Football League Division One after two, and three FA Cup finals held there between and The name Stamford Bridge is one with great significance in English history, having been the site in Yorkshire of a succesful battle against the Vikings in , immediately prior to defeat by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings.

However the naming of Chelsea Football Club's stadium is all about local landmarks rather than conquest from abroad. On 18th-Century maps showing the Fulham Road and King's Road area there is a stream called 'Stanford Creek' which runs along the route of the present-day railway line behind the East Stand. It flowed down into the Thames. Where the stream crosses the Fulham Road it is marked 'Little Chelsea Bridge' which was originally called Sanford Bridge from sand ford , while a bridge over the stream on the King's Road was called Stanbridge from stone bridge.

It seems that these two bridge names and that of the stream, 'Stanford Creek', together evolved into the name Stanford Bridge, which again later changed into Stamford Bridge, to become the adopted name of the stadium close by. A bridge taking the Fulham Road over a railway line remains in place today, close to the main Stamford Gate entrance to the stadium site. Ironically, for a name that would become famous in football, the asymmetrical roofing was erected for another sport.

Covering roughly a fifth of the terrace area, and designed by the original Stamford Bridge architect Archibald Leitch, it was commissioned by the Greyhound Racing Association who for many decades held dog races on the track that enclosed the pitch.

They wanted cover for the bookmakers and their betting customers. His requests bore fruit and the stand at the south end which opened to replace the old terrace in still bears the Shed name today. In , the north end of Stamford Bridge gained an addition too, and it was also unusually architecturally.

There was a pressing need for more covered seating in addition to the original East Stand, so a new construction was commissioned and started in , Archibald Leitch again involved in the design process. Adjacent to the East Stand, its building was disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War but when it was opened in , supporters now had the option of sitting in a tier that was raised on stilts over the north-east corner of the existing standing terrace.

Many point to the appointment of Ruud Gullit as player-manager the turning point as the Dutchman was able to attract major stars from all over Europe to come and play for the Blues.

Chelsea had been invited to participate in the inaugural European Cup in but had not been allowed to compete by the head of the FA at the time Alan Hardaker. The Blues made an impression in the Champions League but never really threatened to win it in the early days. In , Chelsea qualified for the Champions League by beating Liverpool on the last day of the season to finish fourth in the league.

Many believe that had Chelsea not quialified that day that Roman Abramovich would not have purchased the club. Since Abramovich has taken over the club has reached new heights and is firmly established as one of the elite clubs in world football. The club cemented that elite status when the Blues captured the Champions League title. The detractors say that Chelsea is a club without a history but it is hard to pay much attention to the past when your present and future is so bright.

Like us on Facebook at The Pride of London. A new east stand, first one to be built close to the pitch without athletics track , was opened in It was supposed to be first of four new ends, but costs grew so much in the course of work that Chelsea lost ownership of part of the freehold. Part of the stadium was then bought by property developers Marler Estates. Only after the company went bankrupt in early 's did the ground become Chelsea's property. Or actually property of Chelsea supporters as they were major shareholders in Chelsea Pitch Owners, a trust established to assure stable future for the stadium.

However do to no approval of local authorities it was never actually turned on. In 's remaining parts of the athletics track were removed and changed with new stands — with roof and seats, as the Taylor Report required. It would be quite a challenge to count all events that took place here. Starting from athletics and little known shinty back in 19 th Century, through greyhound races, cricket, baseball, American football and last, but most important, obviously — football.

There has been talk for some time about introducing safe standing in the two highest leagues in the country. In , the government assured about the imminent change of the regulations, but these were not introduced until 2 years later. Chelsea not only left prices frozen but also provided some cool changes around Stamford Bridge, including safe standing and a new Westview club area.

Earthquake of historic proportions or a failed attempt at secession? Their gain could come at a massive price for others.

The formal process for a prospective five-association bid will be opened in