West Ham Museum Plans Come Too Late For Lost Upton Park Treasures

West Ham are considering the creation of a permanent club museum at the London Stadium, almost ten years after leaving their historic home at Upton Park. The proposal is among several potential stadium improvements discussed at the latest Fan Advisory Board meeting, and for many supporters it will be a welcome, if rather overdue, development.

According to the minutes of the October 13 meeting, published by the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust, club representative Paul Stringer outlined opportunities including a permanent museum, new stadium wrap, Champions Place and a Fan Zone. The club has not formally committed to building the museum, with any project dependent on finances and agreement with London Stadium.

Nevertheless, the possibility of finally having somewhere dedicated to celebrating West Ham’s history is encouraging. As far as I’m concerned, a museum should have been one of the easiest wins following our move from the Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium. The fact that it never happened only reinforced the belief amongst some supporters that the owners didn’t particularly care about the club’s heritage.

West Ham’s Lost Upton Park History Still Hurts

And let’s be fair, there was an enormous amount of memorabilia that could have gone into a museum.

I’ll still never fully forgive the amount of stuff that ended up in builders’ yards and on the scrap heap after the Boleyn Ground was demolished, including its destruction with pyrotechnics for a Hollywood film.

Many of us scrambled to rescue what had been discarded. I remember young Jono Heuerman collecting commemorative bricks that had been placed in the building by loved ones, often in memory of friends and family members who had passed away.

It’s actually frightening to think how many signed seats, turnstiles, fittings and other pieces of the old ground were lost or destroyed.

These weren’t simply bits of old furniture or building materials. They were pieces of West Ham’s history, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Why Hammers Chat Started Saving West Ham Memorabilia

During the years that followed, we at Hammers Chat have tried to buy up as much West Ham memorabilia as possible.

Certainly, our proudest moment came when my Hammers Chat partner in crime, Geo, and I purchased John Lyall’s 1980 FA Cup winner’s medal.

It’s far from the only thing we’ve acquired either. We’ve used proceeds from our videos to purchase some wonderful pieces associated with West Ham legends, including Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking.

We intend to show these items to West Ham supporters and are planning a couple of events this season, which we’re very much looking forward to.

But make no mistake about it, one of the reasons we’ve taken it upon ourselves to preserve and display these pieces is that the club currently doesn’t have a permanent museum where supporters can enjoy them.

A West Ham Museum Is Long Overdue

For all my criticism of the London Stadium, a permanent museum would undoubtedly help make the place feel more like home.

West Ham have a wonderful history, and it deserves to be celebrated properly. Younger supporters should be able to see the achievements of players such as Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and the great John Lyall rather than simply reading about them.

Of course, there is a considerable difference between discussing a museum at a Fan Advisory Board meeting and actually building one.

But I sincerely hope this is one proposal the club follows through on.

We cannot bring back the Boleyn Ground or recover everything that was lost when it was demolished. What West Ham can do is make sure the history we still have is properly preserved for future generations.