Stamford Bridge opened in 1877 as a home for the London Athletic Club and was used almost exclusively for that purpose until 1904, when the lease was acquired by brothers Gus and Joseph Mears, who wanted to stage high-profile professional football matches there.

It was initially offered to Fulham FC, but they turned it down for financial reasons. After considering the sale of the land to the Great Western Railway Company, the Mears decided to found their own football club, Chelsea, to occupy the ground as a rival to Fulham.

As originally constructed, Stamford Bridge was an athletics track and the pitch was initially located in the middle of the running track. This meant that spectators were separated from the field of play on all sides by the width of running track.

In the early 1970s the club's owners embarked on an ambitious project to renovate Stamford Bridge. However, the cost of building the East Stand escalated out of control after shortages of materials and a builders' strike and the remainder of the ground remained untouched. The new East Stand was finished, but most of the (unusable) running tracks remained, and the new stand was also displaced by approximately 20 metres, compared to the pitch. The idea was to move the entire stadium towards the north. But due to the financial situation in the mid-1970s the other stands weren't rebuilt for another two decades.

During the 1984–85 season, following a series of pitch invasions and fights, chairman Ken Bates erected an electric perimeter fence between the stands and the pitch. However, the electric fence was never turned on and before long it was dismantled, due to the GLC blocking it from being switched on for health and safety reasons.

In the aftermath of the Taylor Report, re-building commenced and successive building phases during the 1990s eliminated the original running track. The pitch, the turnstiles, and the naming rights of the club are now owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners, an organisation set up to prevent the stadium from being purchased by property developers.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 1898, Stamford Bridge played host to the World Championship of shinty between Beauly Shinty Club and London Camanachd.

HOW TO GET THERE

The easiest way to reach the ground is by tube or rail.

London Underground/Overground

The nearest London Underground/Overground station is:

National Rail

West Brompton [WBP]

The station is located at Old Brompton Road, London SW5 9JX; 20 mins’ walk from the ground.

It is served by :

Directions to ground: from the station walk past Brompton Cemetery, until the ground is on your right.

Imperial Wharf [EUS]

The station is located at Townmead Road, London SW6; 15 mins’ walk from the ground.

It is served by:

Directions to ground: come out of station with Chelsea Harbour on your right; follow until you can turn left onto Lots Road; turn left again onto King’s Road, right onto Holmead Road, and left onto Fulham Road. The ground will be in front of you.

Bus

There are two bus stops outside Stamford Bridge on the Fulham Road. You can get to the stadium using bus routes 14, 211 and 414.

By Car

Stamford Bridge lies just north of the River Thames and Battersea Bridge, and just south of Hyde Park. The A4 passes near to the stadium, providing links to Central London to the east, and the M4 and M25 to the West.

Parking

Stamford Bridge is located in a busy residential area; parking is limited and often reserved. Paid parking facilities are located roughly 15 minutes from the stadium and can be used on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note full road closures are in place outside the stadium 90 minutes before kick-off and 60 minutes after full-time.

STADIUM INFOMATION

The recommended entrance for Brentford fans is via Stamford Gate which is nearest to the away turnstiles.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

The nearest pubs for visitings fans are around Earls Court Station, around a 30 minute walk from the station. Chelsea recommend the Earls Court Tavern, Prince of Teck and Courtfield Tavern which are all on the Earls Court Road.