{"id":12824,"date":"2023-09-08T00:11:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T23:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/?p=12824"},"modified":"2023-09-08T00:11:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T23:11:35","slug":"a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england","title":{"rendered":"A huge stadium in the midst of bustling London. The history of the largest arena in England\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>London can boast of many interesting places that can amaze with their uniqueness, power, beauty and grandeur. Every tourist will find something special and exceptional here. It seems that the capital of Great Britain harmoniously combined cultural, musical, historical and sporting spheres. The main example of the latter is the legendary Wembley Stadium where people come to watch unforgettable concerts and the most famous sports competitions. Some call it a place of strength, while for others it symbolises unfortunate defeats. So, what is it really like and what does its history hide? Learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/\">ilondon.info<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a00fe8ed06f0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a00fe8ed06f0\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england\/#Prerequisites_for_creating_a_stadium\" >Prerequisites for creating a stadium&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england\/#Fascinating_history_of_the_stadium\" >Fascinating history of the stadium<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england\/#Modern_views_and_large-scale_reconstruction\" >Modern views and large-scale reconstruction&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england\/#Incredible_architectural_ideas\" >Incredible architectural ideas&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/eternal-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england\/#Events_that_went_down_in_history\" >Events that went down in history&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prerequisites_for_creating_a_stadium\"><\/span>Prerequisites for creating a stadium&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking at this mighty structure in the middle of one of the most famous cities in the world, few people know what exactly was in this place hundreds of years ago. It&#8217;s not a well-kept secret, but its history is really interesting. Before the construction of the famous stadium, there was an empty site but a tower in the middle of it. This structure was inspired by the famous Eiffel Tower, but the attempt to compete with the masterpiece failed. When the stadium construction began, the tower was demolished and the place became an even springboard for further works.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fascinating_history_of_the_stadium\"><\/span>Fascinating history of the stadium<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first stadium structure was built by the Sir Robert McAlpine company in 1923 for \u00a3750,000. After ten months of construction work, the world saw a majestic sports arena that stood out significantly from other grey and mundane London buildings. Its main purpose was to house a famous exhibition. There were even plans to demolish the stadium after it ended, but they were cancelled. Four days after its opening, the stadium hosted one of the largest sporting events, the 1923 FA Cup. It resulted in fights between fans in a frenzied crowd that were resolved by mounted police. Then the total number of fans in the stadium was 200,000, although according to the project, its maximum capacity was 127,000 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ilondon.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2023\/07\/17192943\/bdqaywp6jg0guvzdmqmskrc_isisudm-y7woiahxbqshgtsnklb7rx03wmmzww5pqhuczesvw4qw33a-0uhzz8xpz79vflwaqhc650gqysrx4obxgz-86nx4w4pxsnjgzxjjgbph5mb-4uvvsqk4aiq.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo source: Historic England Archive&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The British Empire Exhibition turned out to be very successful. The stadium became one of the exhibits. It housed various performances, amazing concerts, popular contests and other entertainment events. Unfortunately, after the long-awaited exhibition, the Wembley Stadium faced a sort of decline. Due to its unprofitability, it was resold several times, but it still served as a venue for popular sports competitions. The Summer Olympic Games were held here in 1948. Of course, the event wasn\u2019t extremely luxurious and enchanting because London was just reviving after the Second World War. However, the organisers made a lot of effort to hold the competition at a decent level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ilondon.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2023\/07\/17192940\/qr2qp2h0wzbd5wboily3svhaflzrgkwi4kusc-1k8cnpxg6kkgvf86a8awp_ywcj0mhx3wu76tdintwq49doyxxx-tgtirbb9ufxog51vnsgpjis4cqvm77aqisgxg4fstliscr5lsvarzpn7cbszho.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo source: Historic England Archive&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stadium received the nickname Twin Towers because of two white towers, which were the highlight of the architectural idea. In 1963, the structure was improved a little bit. As a result, it got a roof made of aluminium and translucent glass as well as an electronic scoreboard. The stadium remained the main venue for many famous events for decades. In 2000, it was closed for reconstruction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Modern_views_and_large-scale_reconstruction\"><\/span>Modern views and large-scale reconstruction&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2007, the world acquired a new architectural wonder in the form of the largest sports arena in England. Its reconstruction lasted for four years. It would be better to call it a major reconstruction because, in 2002, one of the parts of the stadium was completely demolished. Later, the legendary white towers were dismantled. To tell the truth, almost nothing remained of the former building. It became a completely different, new and modern-looking structure. The opening of the renovated facility was significantly delayed. According to the original project, it had to be finished in 2003. However, due to a number of legal and financial difficulties, the reconstruction process was just at the demolition stage that year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ilondon.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2023\/07\/17192937\/cr5_hdg9ntrjj8vofozyfqliq_lfazbwuihvf75ajxmgwvsx9lcsnixdutah_jkhodih-gffptdepcgwdcaycmb_elhz9sbrvtdvvuhwdftrjhlmyb90sr1ztzogwg11jwn3agpe7ybfit38mm9xvaw.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Many things went wrong during the reconstruction. In 2004, incorrect calculations led to the death of one of the workers. That tragedy slowed down the process because the already approved project had to be changed and the construction company was fined. In 2006, new steel roof structures collapsed. Then the fatal consequences were avoided and all the workers were evacuated, but such problems slowed down the pace of construction even more. The history of this amazing object creation is incredibly exciting and sad at the same time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Incredible_architectural_ideas\"><\/span>Incredible architectural ideas&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All the credits for the development of that new work of art belonged to the team of architects from Foster + Partners and engineers from Mott Stadium Consortium. In total, construction cost \u00a3798 million. When all the ideas were implemented, that project became one of the most famous and expensive in the world. It became an example of something extremely interesting, original and worthy of attention for many modern architects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The building looks majestic and impresses with its uniqueness. The stadium is of semicircular shape resembling a bowl. Its main feature is the lattice arch, which was created to support the roof and became the visiting card of the stadium. It can be seen from different parts of London. It attracts tourists and fits into the architectural style of the city in general. The roof itself isn&#8217;t any less interesting. It is sliding, so if necessary, it can be easily transformed. Another feature of the stadium is that it can be transformed into an athletic one very fast. However, when a platform on the lower tiers is installed, the number of seats decreases to 60,000. This system enables the holding of athletics competitions. In addition, the new stadium was built including the latest technologies, which made it possible to automate most of the processes. The arena is also known for its seating capacity, which makes it the largest stadium in the world in terms of the number of spectators fitting under the roof.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Events_that_went_down_in_history\"><\/span>Events that went down in history&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the fact that the organisers were forced to postpone a lot of large-scale matches and concerts due to the construction delays, many famous events took place here eventually after its opening. In 2007, this place housed concerts by Muse, Metallica and George Michael. In the same year, the famous Live Earth and Concert for Diana took place here. In September 2008, the audience had the opportunity to visit Madonna\u2019s concert here, and in 2016, they could enjoy the concerts of Beyonc\u00e9 and Rihanna. All these events always gathered and amazed a large number of visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ilondon.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2023\/07\/17192935\/8nnfhhgsvlh-z6f58e8cyun1r90oggmcntuimicbi8mtk5z4y2u5jifbcfcnzlu-4qocst2gcfrgkjeu-ka0ztzjrcehc41y6me2sdc2h6ddg-dubaevushrgpd1cytwf4nmuqhwmepxunm_pujg380.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As for sports events, there is a list of competitions held at the stadium annually. It includes rugby, soccer and American football championships. It has become traditional to hold the Women\u2019s Challenge Cup here. Wembley Stadium also hosts the semi-finals and finals of the FA Cup and many other football matches every year. In addition, the stadium becomes a venue for even more outstanding events. For example, in 2012, a part of the Summer Olympic Games was held here. The stadium is indeed one of the most famous sports venues in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>London can boast of many interesting places that can amaze with their uniqueness, power, beauty and grandeur. Every tourist will find something special and exceptional here. It seems that the capital of Great Britain harmoniously combined cultural, musical, historical and sporting spheres. The main example of the latter is the legendary Wembley Stadium where people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":322,"featured_media":12663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4820],"tags":[5370,5377,5374,5379,5382,5383,5372,5384,5373,5371,5378,5375,5380,5381],"motype":[4825],"moformat":[83],"moimportance":[32,35],"class_list":{"0":"post-12824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sporty","8":"tag-a-huge-stadium-in-the-midst-of-bustling-london-the-history-of-the-largest-arena-in-england","9":"tag-as-for-sports-events","10":"tag-beauty-and-grandeur","11":"tag-events-that-went-down-in-history","12":"tag-incredible-architectural-ideas","13":"tag-it-became-an-example-of-something-extremely-interesting","14":"tag-london-can-boast-of-many-interesting-places-that-can-amaze-with-their-uniqueness","15":"tag-original-and-worthy-of-attention-for-many-modern-architects","16":"tag-power","17":"tag-prerequisites-for-creating-a-stadium","18":"tag-soccer-and-american-football-championships-it-has-become-traditional-to-hold-the-womens-challenge-cup-here","19":"tag-the-main-example-of-the-latter-is-the-legendary-wembley-stadium-where-people-come-to-watch-unforgettable-concerts-and-the-most-famous-sports-competitions","20":"tag-the-new-stadium-was-built-including-the-latest-technologies","21":"tag-which-made-it-possible-to-automate-most-of-the-processes","22":"motype-eternal","23":"moformat-longread-short","24":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","25":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/322"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12825,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12824\/revisions\/12825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12824"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=12824"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=12824"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilondon.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=12824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}