Boleyn Ground photograph

Boleyn Ground

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AddressGreen St, Upton Park, London E13 9AZ, UK
Capacity35,016
Closed2016
Owners West Ham United F. C.
ArchitectsHenri Pillipe Tiite Parker
Date of Reg.
Date of Upd.
ID733959
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About Boleyn Ground


The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 until 2016. The stadium was also briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years of financial difficulty.

Where is the Boleyn Ground

Boleyn Ground Map
Click on the photo of Boleyn Ground to view it on Google Maps.

"I'm proud of my son for the storage of 1,000 bricks in my garden is'

Feb 16,2020 7:04 am

As Donna Heuerman looks out of her window every morning, she sees a row of bricks lined up in your garden. You have it to the left of your son Jonjo - But , while most mothers would be frustrated, Donna could not be more proud. The stones are determined to be a proof for her son, to help other people.

"He involved himself says, in all kinds of weird and wonderful things," Donna. "He is so, Fund-raising, since he was eight years old when his nan died of bowel cancer. "

The loss of his grandmother asked to increase Jonjo £350,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund, a cancer charity's connection to his favorite soccer club West Ham United.

So, when West Ham announced that their old stadium, the Boleyn Ground at Upton Park , was about to be demolished, Jonjo was already a veteran charity fundraiser.

For him, the demolition was an opportunity.

"He asked for a pair of seats or something that could be says the auction of The Charity organization" Donna.

The Demolition Company replied to his question and some of the seats. But she also noted they were paid by knocking down a memorial wall made of bricks, the fans, and they didn't want you to end up in a skip.

"The builders supports Arsenal, But ultimately they were football fans, and you could say take a Wrecking Ball to The Wall ," Donna.

"you said," If we knock these walls individually, stone for stone, would you take it?' And Jonjo said, 'I think we should Do Something , mom. '"

Donna and Jonjo a couple of hundred stones had expected, But to save at the end of the builders made 1000 of the 1400 in The Wall .

At the first, they stored, which was needed in The West Ham supporters' club, But when the war closed, in 2017, a new home. The only option was to move them to The Family 's garden.

"you were safe, that's All That mattered," Donna says.

Each of the stones is unique. Some are marked only with initials, some have names and messages like "Super Dad" and "Life-Hammer" (as West Ham supporters are known as the hammers).

"These stones all had different stories behind them, some were for people, who have gone from us, some were for people who wanted to mark their first game," Jonjo says.

So he the and in The Hope of a reunion with their owners.

Volunteers to help, again in brick in a Church Hall in East London , on this occasion

Jonjo and Donna were not sure you hear back from anyone, But soon a trickle of messages began to arrive.

One of them was a 65-year-old Cathy Finlayson.

Cathy asked whether they had Russell , a brick with her grandson the name of it - Jake.

Jake Russell , West Ham kit

she explained that the six-year-old Jake had played for The West Ham Junior team and loved the seniors team play.

"He had said, this special little character and everyone who met him, how nice he was," his grandmother.

"He had a naughty nature, the glitter him. He had a special way with him, she couldn't help But love. "

But One Day , 19 years ago, when he show on His Way with his mom, a friend, some of the autographs he had collected from The West Ham player, he was a tragic incident in a hit-and-run.

The Family is dedicated to Jake a stone ' s memory.

Jonjo quickly found all the stones are in alphabetical order, and he and Donna presented to Cathy.

"If I have the stone in my hands, I was around and it was like you had to say a little bit of him back to me", Cathy.

"It is a part of West Ham and to be a part of Jake, and it brings so many wonderful memories. "

Jonjo't deliver, each brick by hand, But he organized a brick-collection day every few months.

There are a number of routine. He and Donna get up early, at her home in Kent, and choose to be you from the stones that are due to be collected. Then they load you in a van and drive to a pre-arranged pick-up point. Usually about 50 people come to collect them.

"It is always a good mood, But sometimes it is a bit sad when people come and pick you up and explain some of the stories," Jonjo says.

On A Collection day, this summer, Jim Ody, 64, came to pick up a brick dedicated to his father, had died, suddenly, in front of His Family in a West Ham game.

"father died in the area where the memorial wall was built", says Jim.

"It was all a bit of a shock.

"I was glad that The Brick is back, But now I have to decide what to do, to make sure, it the awareness it deserves. "

Donna said, this is a common dilemma.

"I've got a couple of pictures of where you put them back in your garden. You actually have it cemented back in to your walls," she says.

Marion Maloney with Jonjo (left) and Jane, Jim Ody ' s sister-in-law

Ham Fans for decades.

Marion Maloney, 78, came to pick up a brick, the paid had her husband, Alan, shortly before he died - and she had a remarkable story about his childhood.

As a teenager, Alan had played football in The Park with Bobby Moore that stated that the legendary players who would go on to captain West Ham and the England team won the football World Cup in 1966.

"Bobby Moore was always very impeccably turned out person," says Marion.

"His mother used to cook, his football laces. He would go there to play, and they were pure white and he was the only one. My husband thought The World of him.

"Well, if we (West Ham ) win a game, I look at the ceiling and say to Alan, "We won", and I imagine my husband gives me the thumbs up. "

Among The Hundreds of stones in The Garden , was The Team to belong to Jim Fitzpatrick , MP for Poplar and Limehouse.

When Jonjo got In Touch , he will deliver, was invited by the MP to it In Person to the houses of Parliament.

"the security were a bit confused. But once we explained the story, and Jim came around they let us through," he says.

in order To make it back to their owners, some of the stones have travelled a lot more - in the USA, Australia and New Zealand , for example.

But a stone, The Project is closer to home than Donna and Jonjo had expected - they discovered it, Donna's cousin, Dean, was dedicated, after his death.

"We were thinking of looking at these stones, 'Is this the same Dean?", and it was said," Donna.

"It was weird, this connection among all those other stones and stories. "

West Ham United say they have not forgotten about your long-term supporters.

the inscriptions on The bricks from the Boleyn Ground is now stamped on a commemorative walkway at The Club -new stadium in the Olympic Park .

"It's great that you can bricks be combined with the original, while still being able to see your messages (on the sidewalk)," says Jake Heath, a spokesman for the Association.

To date, Jonjo and his mother have managed to reunite around a third of the bricks with their owners. They say they will continue until The Job is done.

"My husband has threatened to build stone barbecue made of brick, But that is not what happened, because she says really, really useful for a lot of people," Donna.

"I was not excited about my grandson brick," Cathy Finlayson.

"people will think I'm crazy, But Jake and I still talk.

"I haveThe Day I got The Brick , I said, 'Look, we did it!'"/p>

If you have a commemorative stone at the Boleyn had Ground,>please visit

a Few things mean so much to soldiers, such as your medals. But if the medals are lost, as they find their way home? This is where the Great Zachariah Fike comes.



inspiring stories

Source of news: bbc.com

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