Old Wembley Stadium
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Wembley Stadium was built for the first time in 1923, and again in 2003. The original stadium was much more than a national sports arena, it was also a monument, borrowing from architectural gems such as the Roman Coliseum, with many exterior arches and colonnades. The interior of the stadium was characterized by glamour and grandeur. The defining features of the stadium include the Royal Box and the Twin Towers.
Built by Sir John Simpson, Maxwell Ayerton and Sir Owen Williams, it was completed in 300 days and cost £750,000 to construct.[1]
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[edit] Construction History
[edit] Watkin’s Folly
As early as the 1880s, Wembley Park Leisure Grounds was a popular park for soccer and cricket games. With the construction of the railway in its early days in 1889, it seemed only natural for the chairman of the Metropolitan Railway, Sir Edward Watkin, to build a park around the site.[2]
In constructing this park, Watkin conceived of a 1,150-foot (350-m) tower, supported by four legs. His idea was influenced by a visit to Gustave Eiffel’s French masterpiece, the Eiffel Tower, but Watkin’s ideas were never realized. Only the foundation of the tower was completed; the rest of the project came to a halt due to lack of funds. The tower only reached 200 feet (60m) before construction ceased. The partially constructed tower became known as Watkin’s Folly.
[edit] Empire Stadium
Ideas of a larger leisure ground still circulated throughout England, but did not garner the interest of the British Government until the end of World War I in 1918. Plans for a British Empire Exhibition, complete with a stadium right in the location of Watkin’s Folly were put forward, with designs from architects Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayerton, and engineer Sir Owen William. [3]
In 1922 a contract was signed, which finalized the construction of the first Wembley Stadium. Shortly after, huts were erected on the Wembley Golf Course for McAlpine engineers to begin the first stage of one of the most anticipated sports arenas at the time.
The first stage involved the removal of trees and soil. The team undertook heavy excavation and employed a series of excavators to complete the task. The excavator bucket had more than sufficient capacity to remove not only the trees, but the roots as well. Following the initial excavation, service rails were laid and cranes were delivered and constructed on-site. One of the largest excavators in the world at that time was used for this project.
Workers continued construction of the site, using cranes to erect materials for the building structure and putting in place more than 7,500 tons of cement, 40,000 tons of ballast, and 1,400 tons of steel.
The Insley Tower, at 160 feet (49 m) high, required most of the concrete used during the construction. Concrete mixers prepared concrete and distributed it up to 400 feet (122 m) high from the base in a cubic yard (0.76 m3) skip. A second skip was used to contain concrete that sluiced off the shutters.[4]
By 1923, the stadium was far from complete. The curved terracing, weighing 300 tons had yet to be erected. Testing was arranged and some construction was completed after the 1923 Cup Final.
[edit] The 1923 Cup Final and Official Opening
King George V officially opened the Stadium on April 23rd, 1923.
Several testing activities were arranged prior to the day of the 1923 Cup Final. Captain F.B. Ellison, the resident architect, arranged 1,280 men to mimic the movements of fans watching the match. The testing did not quite prepare organizers for Cup Final day on April 23rd, 1923. Although the terrace was constructed to fit a capacity of 100,000 people, there were no previous plans for a turnstile system. Failure to overlook the number of people who were permitted to enter the stadium could have proved disastrous, but luckily a policeman on a white horse managed to drive a throng into the terrace, preventing an uncontrollable crowd from getting out of order.[5]
[edit] Equipment Used
[edit] Refurbishment/Recent Projects/Renovations
Minor improvements were made to the stadium:
- In 1955, floodlights were added.
- An electric scoreboard and an all-encircling roof comprising aluminum and glass were added in 1963. [6]
[edit] The New Wembley Stadium
By the 1990s, it was clear that Wembley Stadium, despite its great architecture, would not hold the number of people that other more modern structures could. It was closed in 2000 and was demolished. The new Wembley Stadium was constructed in its place between 2003 and 2007. [7]
[edit] Unique Facts
- The stadium was the home of the 1948 Olympic Games.
- The stadium was constructed with more than 25,000 tons of concrete, 1,000 tons of steel, and more than a million rivets. [8]
[edit] References
- ↑ History. Wembley Stadium. 2008-11-03.
- ↑ History. Wembley Stadium. 2008-11-03.
- ↑ History. Wembley Stadium. 2008-11-03.
- ↑ Wembley Stadium. Studygroup. 2008-11.03.
- ↑ Wembley Stadium. Studygroup. 2008-11.03.
- ↑ History. Wembley Stadium. 2008-11-03.
- ↑ [ http://www.angelfire.com/wy/wembleystadium/history.html Wembley Stadium History. Angelfire. 2008-11-03.]
- ↑ Watkins Folly to Wembley Stadium. Suite 101. 2008-11-03.
