Browning Road

Browning Road was the home ground of London football club Thames Ironworks, the team that would become West Ham United, towards the end of the 1896-97 season. Thames Ironworks had been handed an eviction notice from their previous Hermit Road 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 managed to lease a temporary piece of land for the team, located at Browning Road, East Ham 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 in his 1906 book: With the club's...