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Access to West Ham’s memorial garden improved

gardens-768x1024West Ham’s Memorial Garden has in Green Street has been tidied up again on Tuesday afternoon by Boleyn Ground developers following complaints of further neglect by supporters visiting it in recent days.

Developers Barratt London has now agreed to provide better access to the garden through their own site team after concerns about the process to pre-book access. The garden situated close to the demolished Boleyn Ground stadium are open between 8am and 3pm Monday to Friday.

A previous procedure asked supporters to email csharp@hardhat.co.uk in advance to arrange access.

A reply to that email address told Claret and Hugh

“The memorial garden is open Monday to Friday, between 8am and 3pm. Usually guests can just show up at site between opening times, where the site team will allow them in.

However, if you confirm when you would like to visit, I can inform the team of when you will be visiting, so they know to expect your visit.” 

The current Memorial Garden was founded in 2001 during the creation of the new West Stand. The land on which it sits was formally the playground of St Edwards Catholic Primary school which moved to a new building a few hundred feet away in September 2000.

The developers have promised to retain and incorporate the West Ham memorial garden within the development of 842 flats which will be called Upton Gardens.

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

5 comments on “Access to West Ham’s memorial garden improved

  1. I kind of think with this the people who care about this actually have no actual interest in it and the people who do have a real interest in the garden ie those who have left something there do not. Someone said on another site that it actually gets no visitors since we moved away. I am not trying to be controversial here but surely the best thing for this area is to simple turf or concrete it over and place an appropriately word plaque in the ground.

    I also never felt it was particularly well maintained when we were at UP and a small area surrounded by 8′ metal fencing was hardly an area of peaceful rememberence. Maybe the club should place a plaque at the OS to remember the garden and those associated with it. Perhaps WHUISA could follow this up?

  2. i sort of get what your saying John, but I’ve seen that some people whose family are remembered there don’t live near the ground, so cant get there easy.
    The facts are, it would cost no more than £30 a month to keep it tidy, while it is the contractors right to tidy, the club IMHO have a moral right to keep it tidy, for less than £500 a year the club would gain so much credit. Instead, this is the 3rd time they have said (promised was used once) they will up keep the site, yet they fall down again.

    • Nigel I completely agree with that. £500 pa from the club should be set aside however I actually think there is a better solution. As far as I know no one is buried there and long term it’s going to be a very small patch off Green Street in front of a vast housing block. Commemorate it by all means on that spot but the club should do something in the QE park to commemorate these fans and the garden itself. It wouldn’t be hard to do, plant a tree, commemorative plaque and then it will be visited, attended and maintained by fans that still attend matches. The parks team will keep it tidy and the club can pay for the tree and the plaque. Everyone likes a tree planting. Have a little ceremony and invite along some relatives.

      Seriously Nigel get WHUISA onto it. Very worthy in my view.

      • Ashes have been scattered there John, it was set up to stop fans having ashes scattered on the pitch. WHUISA will monitor it, but i think Sean did a good job on here raising the problem, with a little help. ;0)

        • Fair play Nigel. Good luck with it. Still think my idea is best.

          Any truth in Marco Boogers being buried there?

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