Browning Road was the home ground of London football club Thames Ironworks, the team that would become

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

, towards the end of the 1896–97 season. Thames Ironworks had been handed an eviction notice from their previous

Hermit Road Hermit Road was a stadium located in Canning Town in London, England. It was the first home ground of football club Thames Ironworks, the works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. The club would later be reformed as West Ha ...

ground in October 1896 for violating their tenancy agreement and had to play their next four fixtures at the grounds of their opponents, until Thames' chairman

Arnold Hills Arnold Frank Hills (12 March 1857 – 7 March 1927) was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism. Biography Hills was born in Denmark Hill, Surrey, son of a manufacturing chemist. Arnold Hills was also ...

managed to lease a temporary piece of land for the team, located at Browning Road,

East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186. It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...

. Thames' first game at their new home came on 6 March 1897 in a 3–2 win over Ilford. However, the new situation was not ideal, as explained by future Ironworks player and West Ham United manager

Syd King Ernest Sydney "Syd" King (1 August 1873 – 14 February 1933) was a footballer and manager, and one of the most important figures in the early history of West Ham United. Playing career Born Chatham, Kent and educated at Watford Grammar School ...

in his 1906 book: With the club's presence never likely to be permanent, chairman

earmarked a large piece of land in

Canning Town Canning Town is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London. The district is located to the north of the Royal Victoria Dock, and has been described as the "Child of the Victoria Docks" as the timing and nature of its urbanisation ...

and would eventually spend £20,000 on the construction of the

Memorial Grounds Memorial Grounds was the home stadium of East London football club Thames Ironworks from the beginning of the 1897–98 season, until the end of the 1899–1900 season. The team continued to play at the stadium, under its new name of West Ham ...

. On 8 April 1897 came not only Thames Ironworks' last game of the season but their last game at Browning Road. The game against Barking Woodville ended 1–1.

References

* * West Ham United F.C. Defunct football venues in England Sports venues in London Sport in the London Borough of Newham Sports venues completed in 1897 {{London-sports-venue-stub