West Ham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Ham is a district in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England, located 6.1 miles (9.8 km) east of Charing Cross. From 1889 to 1965 it formed part of the County Borough of West Ham. West Ham gives its name to the Parliamentary constituency of West Ham, although the constituency also extends over other areas such as Plaistow and Stratford. It is currently represented by Lyn Brown.
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[edit] Sporting associations
The football club West Ham United F.C. is named after the area. Their nicknames, the Irons and the Hammers derive from their association with the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, whose workers formed Thames Ironworks F.C. West Ham F.C. now play at the Boleyn Ground in nearby Upton Park.
The West Ham Stadium, a football, greyhound racing and speedway stadium, operated between 1928 and 1972, with a capacity of 120,000. The streets of housing developed on the site of the stadium pay homage to the speedway greats associated West ham including Bleuy Wilkinson and Jack Young. The Speedway Hammers were involved in the top flight leagues 1929 to 1939;1946 to 1955 and 1964 to 1971. Details of the meetings raced by the pre-war Hammers and their meetings in the era from 1946 to 1955 can be viewed on www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk They won the inaugural British League in 1965[1]. The Arena Essex Hammers speedway team, now known as Lakeside Hammers, who race at Arena Essex next to Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, are now the closest team and took their name from the defunct West Ham outfit.
[edit] Education
- For details of education in West Ham see the List of schools in the London Borough of Newham
[edit] Transport and locale
[edit] Nearest areas
- East Ham, Upton Park to the east
- Plaistow to the east
- Stratford to the north
- Leyton to the north-east
- Canning Town to the south
[edit] Nearest tube stations
[edit] References
- ^ Speedway information on West Ham accessed 11 May 2007
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