Anglo-Saxon times: 'Wembalea' means 'Wemba's forest clearing'. 16th century: Wembley is a small village on a hill, owned by the Page family. 1870: The Pages hire landscape architect Humphrey Repton to create Wembley Park. 1880: The Metropolitan railway passes through Wembley, without stopping. 1890: Wembley Park is sold to the Managing Director of the Metropolitan Railway, Edward Watkin. He plans to build a 1150ft tower on the site in an attempt to rival the success of the recently-opened Eiffel Tower in Paris. 1894: Wembley Park station opens, serving Wembley Park Leisure Grounds. Attractions include a large funfair, football pitches and an artificial lake. 1896: The first stage of Watkin's Tower is completed and opened to the public The tower's foundations shift under the weight of the iron structure above, and construction stops at 200ft. 1902: Watkin's Folly (as it's now known) is closed to the public and later demolished (1907), although Wembley remains a popular recreational destination. 1920: Wembley is selected as the site of the British Empire Exhibition, with a new stadium to be built on the site of Watkin's Folly. 1923: The Empire Stadium is opened by King George V and hosts its first FA Cup Final(Bolton 2, West Ham 0) 1924: Wembley Stadium is the centrepiece of the British Empire Exhibition, a post-war celebration of all things imperial. 1925: The Empire exhibition closes, having lost a lot of money. Almost all of the buildings are demolished, except for the stadium. 1948: Wembley Stadium hosts the 14th Olympic Games. Olympic Way is built to link the stadium with the station. 1966: Wembley hosts the World Cup Final. They think it's all over, it is now. 1985: The Live Aid concert held at Wembley raises millions for the starving of Africa. 1996: Wembley is the preferred location for a new National Stadium. Maybe (1997). Definitely (1998). Probably not (1999). Delayed indefinitely (2000). Looking grim (2001). Go ahead (2002). 2000: Final Cup Final at old Wembley won by Chelsea. Final match at old Wembley won by Germany. 2003: The famous twin towers are demolished. 2004: I stop by at the building site to view the latest Wembley folly. The new stadium is going up very slowly, with the new arch still barely evident. This could be a new shopping mall under construction for all any visitor could deduce. Ten lofty cranes stand guard over the growing arena like giant grey flamingos. A couple of skateboarders enjoy the desolate freedom of one of the car parks. Heavenly Hotdogs and Frank's Frankfurters are boarded up, awaiting redevelopment. For a few brief years, Wembley is enjoying complete anonymity. 2006: The new (incredibly expensive) Wembley Stadium is due to open. Keep an eye on current progress here. I'll believe it when I see it.
A brief (clickable) history of Wembley Stadium
