Few lost grounds in English football are mourned quite like the Boleyn Ground. For 112 years it stood as West Ham United’s fortress in East London, better known to most fans simply as Upton Park, before falling silent for good in May 2016.
This guide goes beyond the highlight reel: it traces exactly where the ground’s unusual name came from (and debunks the popular myth behind it), walks through how the stadium grew stand by stand into a 35,000-seat arena, explains why West Ham ultimately left, and shows what actually occupies the site today.
Quick Answer
The Boleyn Ground, universally known as Upton Park, was West Ham United’s home in East London from 1904 to 2016, closing at an all-seater capacity of 35,016. It took its name from Green Street House, a Tudor-era mansion nicknamed ‘Boleyn Castle’ — but the popular story that Anne Boleyn actually lived there is a myth, since the house wasn’t built until after her execution. West Ham moved to the London Stadium in Stratford in 2016, and the Boleyn Ground site is now the Upton Gardens housing development.
The Anne Boleyn Myth: Where the Name Really Came From
The legend that gave the ground its name is a good one: local folklore held that Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn at Green Street House, the grand building that once stood beside the stadium, and one of its towers was even dubbed ‘Anne Boleyn’s Tower’. It’s easy to see why the story stuck — it gave a scrappy East End football ground a Tudor royal pedigree.
It doesn’t hold up historically, though. Green Street House was built by Richard Breame, a servant of Henry VIII, sometime between 1538 and his death in 1546 — at least two years after Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London in 1536. She could never have set foot inside it. The most likely explanation is that Breame, or his descendants, embellished a loose royal connection to add prestige to the property. Green Street House itself survived until it was demolished in 1955, nearly half a century before West Ham later left its former grounds.
From ‘The Castle’ and the Cabbage Patch to a 35,000-Seat Stadium
Before it was a football ground, the site was open market-garden land, nicknamed the ‘Cabbage Patch’ or ‘Potato Field’ by locals. West Ham United moved in for the 1904–05 season after amalgamating with local club Old Castle Swifts, playing their first match there on 1 September 1904 against Millwall in front of around 10,000 spectators — a 3–0 win. The ground was initially known simply as ‘The Castle’ before the Boleyn name took over.
The stadium’s modern shape was built up in stages over the following century. The East Stand, built in 1969, replaced the famous ‘Chicken Run’ terrace, where fans stood close enough to the pitch to unsettle opposition wingers — supporters kept the nickname for that side of the ground long after it went all-seater. The Bobby Moore Stand opened in 1993 in memory of the England and West Ham great, followed in 1995 by the North Bank replacement later renamed the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. The final major addition, a 15,000-seat West Stand originally called the Dr Martens Stand, opened in 2001 and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II, taking the ground to its closing all-seater capacity of 35,016 in line with the Taylor Report’s post-Hillsborough safety requirements. In August 1944, a German V-1 flying bomb had struck the pitch’s south-west corner, forcing West Ham to play ten matches away from home before repairs were completed.
Record Crowds, Famous Nights and Non-Football Events
The Boleyn Ground’s all-time record attendance was 42,322, set on 17 October 1970 for a First Division match against Tottenham Hotspur, back when standing terraces were still in place. After the ground was fully converted to all-seater in the early 2000s, the highest recorded crowd was 35,550 for a Premier League fixture against Manchester City on 21 September 2002.
The ground also hosted moments beyond league football: Wayne Rooney made his England debut there in a friendly against Australia on 12 February 2003, evangelist Billy Graham held a Christian mission at the stadium in June 1989, and it staged a David Haye vs Derek Chisora heavyweight boxing bout in July 2012.
Why West Ham Left: The Move to the London Stadium
The Boleyn Ground’s biggest limitation was its site: hemmed in by residential streets in Upton Park, there was no realistic way to expand it much beyond 35,000 seats to match the revenue-generating capacity of newer Premier League stadiums. When the 2012 Olympic Stadium in Stratford became available for a new tenant, West Ham entered the bidding — an earlier attempt to take on the stadium in 2011 had collapsed over capacity and legal challenges from rival bidders, but the club won a fresh bid in March 2013, securing a long-term lease.
The switch to what became the London Stadium gave West Ham a far larger, more modern home with capacity roughly 60,000, but it also meant leaving the tight, atmospheric ground supporters had known for over a century. The move took effect from the start of the 2016–17 season.
The Final Whistle and Demolition
West Ham’s farewell season at the Boleyn Ground, 2015–16, was defined by nostalgia as supporters said goodbye to a stadium synonymous with the club’s identity. The last match was played on 10 May 2016 in front of a sell-out crowd of 34,602: a 3–2 Premier League win over champions-elect Manchester United, with Winston Reid scoring the final competitive goal in the ground’s history.
Demolition began shortly after West Ham’s departure and ran through 2016 and 2017, clearing the site for redevelopment. The Boleyn Ground had hosted 2,398 matches across its 112 years as West Ham’s home.
Upton Gardens: What Stands on the Site Today
The Boleyn Ground site was sold to developer Galliard Group, with Barratt London bringing the Upton Gardens scheme to market in February 2017 and the first homes completed from 2018. The finished development comprises around 840 apartments across roughly 14–15 blocks, with a proportion set aside as affordable housing, plus ground-floor retail space.
As part of the redevelopment, the site retains a Bobby Moore memorial garden in tribute to West Ham’s World Cup-winning captain, giving fans a place to reflect on the ground’s history even though no trace of the stadium itself remains.
Boleyn Ground stadium history FAQs
Why was Upton Park also called the Boleyn Ground?
The stadium sat in the Upton Park district of East London, so fans and media commonly used the area’s name. Its official name, Boleyn Ground, came from Green Street House next door, a Tudor-era mansion locally nicknamed ‘Boleyn Castle’ for its supposed link to Anne Boleyn.
Did Anne Boleyn really have a connection to the Boleyn Ground?
No. Green Street House was built between 1538 and 1546 by Richard Breame, a servant of Henry VIII — at least two years after Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536. She could never have lived there; the royal association appears to have been an embellishment added later.
What was the record attendance at the Boleyn Ground?
The all-time record was 42,322, set on 17 October 1970 for a First Division match against Tottenham Hotspur, when the ground still had standing terraces. After it became all-seater, the highest attendance was 35,550 against Manchester City on 21 September 2002.
Why did West Ham leave the Boleyn Ground?
The stadium’s site in Upton Park was surrounded by residential streets, leaving no room to expand it towards the capacity of rival Premier League grounds. West Ham won the bid to take over the Olympic Stadium in Stratford in March 2013 and relocated there, as the London Stadium, for the 2016–17 season.
What happened to the Boleyn Ground after West Ham moved out?
The stadium was demolished between 2016 and 2017. The site was redeveloped by Galliard Group and Barratt London into Upton Gardens, a housing scheme of roughly 840 homes that also includes a memorial garden dedicated to Bobby Moore.
Can you still visit the site of the Boleyn Ground?
The stadium itself no longer exists — the plot is now the Upton Gardens residential development. Visitors can still see the Bobby Moore memorial garden preserved on the site, though there are no remaining stands, pitch or other structures from the old ground.
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