Custom House Years
Home of the 'Appy Ammers'
West Ham Stadium
Infomation from ## Thanks to Newham Heritage Services!
The Main Gate
Photo thanks to Ian Dowling ##
The Stadium
Photo thanks to Reg Fearman
Where it was
Map of the Staduim 1930's
The West Ham Stadium was situated off of Prince Regent Lane, Custom House , London, E16
The possition of stadium, which is now demolished, is outlined on the modern map below!
The new roads constructed on the site of the old West Ham Stadium, are all named after charecters that where closely associated with the history of the Custom House Circuit
Roads named after "Ammers"
Atkinson Road After Arthur Atkinson Rider/Manager
Croombs Road After Tommy Croombs Rider
Hoskins Close After Jonnie Hoskins Promoter/Manager
Lawson Close After Aub Lawson
Wilkinson Road After Bluey Wilkinson Rider/World Champion
Young Road After Jack Young Rider/World Champion
How it all started
Opening Meeting 28th July 1928
Robert Rogers uncovers the following information from Newham Heritage Library Services at Statford
Dirt track Thrills
Activities at the new West Ham Stadium at Custom House commenced on Saturday (28th July 1928) by holding a Dirt-track Motor Cycle meeting, organised by the Dirt-track Speedways Ltd.
A large and enthusiastic crowd were treated to an excellent display of racing by some of the leading British, Australian and American Speedway riders.
Part of the stadium was still under construction and when completed, it will be undoubtedly be one of the finest in the Country. It is estimated that there will be accommodation for over 100,000 spectators and nearly half this number can be housed in the main double-deck stand.
There is a second stand on the opposite side of the ground, which can accommodate 20,000 people.
In the centre of the arena is a full size football ground which the new professional team, Thames Association will open in the southern league against
Surrounding this is the Dirt Speedway track of 440yards, while beyond this runs a turf Greyhound racing track of 562 yards.
Two hundred dogs will be kennelled at the stadium in four blocks, each holding 50 dogs. Each block will have a paddock area of 850 square yards with Stores, Kitchen and Bedroom for Attendant with gas, water & electricity. In the vicinity of the stadium there will be a car park of five acres capable of accommodating 2400 cars.
There are 70x 750-watt lamps around the Greyhound Course, and a special type of Monorail train has been erected weighing only 500lb. This lightness will enable the Driver to retard or accelerate so easily that he will be able to keep the Hare with-in one yard of the Dogs.
Prior to the commencement of Saturdays speedway meeting, Alderman Jones M.P declared the stadium open, and there was present a number of members of West Ham Council, with Sir Louis Dane Chairman of the directors and Lady Dane.
Among the Aldermen and Councillors present were Alderman Thorn M.P, Alderman Godbold, and Councillors Torrington, Bush, Sturgess, Parker, Vincent, Scoulding, Mrs Cook and Mrs Parsons.
Alderman Jones, whose speech was broadcast around the Stadium through the Loud Speaker System, said that as Member of the Division in which that the Stadium and Sports ground had been erected, he hoped that it would add to the enjoyment and happiness of the people of the Neighbourhood.
They were not killjoys or spoilt sports in that area. There had been plenty of ups and downs and the trials and troubles of industrial difficulties, but they had lived through them all, and they could say without fear of contradiction that West Ham was one of the finest sporting Centres in
He was pleased to be called on to perform the opening ceremony at the Stadium, which was not to be confined to one Sport, but which would cater for various forms of amusement, and he hoped that when the final result was declared the Stadium would be recognised as one of the finest Sporting grounds in the country, and that good and clean sportsmen would be around them.
He had much pleasure in declaring the grounds open for the enjoyment of the public.
Dirt Track Speedway
Most of the riders in the events which were decided had no opportunity for a practice spin, and for the first lap or so had to ride carefully, but once they had tried out the track, some thrilling racing was witnessed.
All the Star riders present included Paddy Dean (Australia), Lloyd `Sprouts` Elder (U.S.A), Irvine Jones (Australia), Billy Galloway (Australia), Ivor Creek (England), Art Pechar (U.S.A), Geoffrey `Buzz` Hibbard (Australia) and Gus Khun (England) took part in the West Ham Invitation Handicap, which followed the parade of riders.
There were some close finishes in the Heats and Semi-final before Paddy Dean beat Buzz Hibbard in the Final, completing the mile and a half in 2.30 min, equalising 36 Miles Per Hour. The West Ham Golden Gauntlet mile event however produced the most exciting racing as all riders started from Scratch.
Unfortunately Pechar and Kuhn had to retire from this after winning their heats owing to Machine Trouble, and the event was finally won by Elder in 1.31 min at 39.56 MPH, which was the fastest time of the day.
In a special match race, Ivor Creek won from Billy Galloway, his time being 1.38 min at 36.44 MPH over a mile
The results were;
West Ham Golden Gauntlet (1 Mile) Final,
1st Elder, 2nd Dean, 3rd Creek, time 1.31.
West Ham Invitation Handicap (1.5 Miles)
1st Dean, 2nd Hibbard, 3rd Creek, time 2.30.
One Mile Match Race Ivor Creek beat Billy Galloway by four lengths, time 1.38min.
"It is a stadium in the fullest sense of the word, and we hope will provide a find opportunity for the people of this densely populated area to enjoy healthy sports and low charges”
Sir Louis Dane, Chairman of the Directors of the West Ham Greyhound Racing, Co, Ltd, made these observations in the course of a speech at the Luncheon given to the representatives of the Press at the Nottingham Arms on Wednesday.
"Primarily”, he said, "we are a Greyhound Racing Company and the Dogs are the most important and our first interest, but we do not propose to limit ourselves to that”.
On the site of the stadium there had been for many years a football ground and Whippet Racing Course. The company was particularly keen to keep the football going and the whippet racers were anxious to continue their sport.
They had also been meet by applications for Bowling Greens and Tennis Courts.
Fortunately there were ample opportunities for providing all of these pastimes and possibly Hockey, also if that caught on in the district.
There was also Dirt-track (Racing) and he though that as the interest grew, it would prove very successful.
Altogether they had a comprehensive programme, and a wonderful stadium, and he hoped they would be able to live up to it.
At a future date they might be able to arrange for Boxing Contest, as that was a sport very much in favour in West Ham.
He considered that Alderman Jones who had opened the stadium was a `good sport`.
The Building is not yet quite completed, but despite difficulties, they were barely three months behind schedule.
The local Authority had treated them very well, and they seemed to be welcomed into the neighbourhood.
Mr Cundy, one of the Directors, expressed the view that the stadium would do a lot of good for a greatly neglected part of
Afterwards the Pressmen were given a private view of the stadium.
It was a hive of industry; a large number of workmen doing their best to prepare the stadium for Saturday opening meeting. There is still a good deal to be done, but completion is in site. Every thing is in readiness for the actual racing.
The dogs all appear to be in an excellent form and are eager for the fray. Barring hold-ups, the public should witness some fine sport during the holiday weekend.
Sir Louis Dane in conversation with our representative expressed great pleasure at the smartness of the Stadium, which was being erected. He considered that it was one of the finest in the Country, and was a credit to all concerned.
There will be a `closed` season in January and February.
Report from the
Thanks to Robert Rogers, Jenni Munroe-Collins of Newham Heritage Library Services at Statford 7 the speedway plus Website
How they got there!
Public Transport
Route 699 (Trolley-Bus) ##
The main form of transport to and from the stadium prior to the 1960's was the 699 trolley-bus, a pair of early ones are seen here on the left.
This route served the stadium well, until the the route was withdrawn, in the early 60's. Trolleybus 622 seen here taken by W.J.Haynes in around 1960 at the Victoria and Albert Docks terminus of route 699. This route ran along Greengate Street was in fact the last to operate into the West Ham Depot.
Below is a list of Public Transport Facilities Given in a Stock Car Programme of 1955
West end of London. 15 or 13 bus to Greengate, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
Upminster, Dagenham, Barking. Underground to Plaistow, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
Chigford, Walthamstow, Leyton. 699 trolley-bus.
Romford. 175 bus direct.
Finsbury Park, Becontree Heath. 106 bus direct.
Wansted, Camberwell, Southwark. 40 bus to Greengate, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
Southend, Greys, Tilbury. Train to Barking, thence Underground to Plaistow, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
Ilford. 25 bus to Statford Broadway, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
Epping, Ongar, Woodford. 25 bus to Stratford Broadway, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
South of the Thames. 108 bus through Blacwall Tunnel, thenc 175 or 106 bus to the stadium.
Central London. Underground to Plaistow, thence a 699 trolley-bus.
By Road
The Local Community
West Ham Stadium was situated in the heart of London’s Docklands district, in an area in the south of the former County Boroughs of West Ham & East Ham. The Royal Group of Docks was one of Britain’s major industrial areas and was the largest impounded dock water in the world. From the beginning of the 19th century a series of enclosed docks were built in London to accommodate the increasing numbers of ships and handle their cargoes in secure conditions. The Victoria Dock (closest to the stadium) was constructed in 1855 to accommodate new steam vessels.
With the arrival of the Docks, new industries also moved in along the riverside belt and several new towns sprung up to serve them. Silvertown, the Silver's rubber works, North Woolwich, Henley's electric telegraph works & Beckton, Gas Light & Coke Company's gas works. Hundreds of terraced houses were built to accommodate the growing population of the area who came from all parts of the country and abroad to find work. Lithuanians fled to the area away from persecution at home, the docks attracted Irish dockworkers, German chemists and sugar bakers with Scottish sugar workers from Greenock all worked at Lyle's.
Ships brought seamen, passengers & Cargoes from around the world and the smooth running of the docks relied on the skills of thousands of people ranging from dockers, clerks and women ship scrubbers to tobacco samplers and lightermen. The local economy was heavily dependant on the docks including of course West Ham Stadium.
Colmam Road 10th Feb 1937 ##
The Perimiter fence of the West Ham Stadium is seen on the left. Houses on the street were constructed in 1929-30 to accomodate people whose houses where demolished by the construction of the Silvertown Way!
The Old Railway Tavern ##
Each dockland district had it's own complex and distinctive character especially during the period between the wars and at the birth of the Stadium. The Victoria Dock Road was one of the most cosmopolitan places in London. There were public houses every few yards. The old Railway Tavern 272 Victoria Dock Road (seen here) was at the corner of
Coloured Mens Institute ##
Baxter Road ##
A Proccession from the Chuch of Accension at the festaval of the Ascension Passing Baxter Road!
###Images from The Archive Potographs Series Compiled by Howard Bloch.
The War Years
Bombers over Custom House
The Battle of Britain
A pair of Dornier 217s flying over Custom House in the autumn of 1940. This arial photo was taken by an attacking bomber and is held by the R.A.F., the stadium is near the centre of the picture!
29th March 1940 ##
The Mayor of West ham, Alderman Thomas Wooder opening the first speedway meeting after the outbreak of the war.
Baxter Road ##
A street party organised by residents to celebrate Victory In 1945
Greyhound Racing
The West Ham Greyhound track was
the largest in
The track was unique because it had a turf track, laid on wood raised twelve inches above ground level. This added to the spectacle and virtually guaranteed racing whatever the weather. The huge track was lit by 70 x 750 watt lamps and had a special kind of Monorail train weighing only 500lbs which was used to carry the hare.
At its peak, West Ham paid host
to as many as 30,000 punters per meeting who loved the galloping circuit which
ensured the racing was almost trouble free and made it easier to predict
results. This was, however, not always of benefit to local runners as it denied
them any edge in open races.
The highlight to any West Ham greyhound season was the Classic, Cesarewitch which was originally run over 600 yards and won by some of the greats in its early years.
The legendary Mick the Miller (seen with his offspring), who won the race in 1930 and set a world
record time in the heats. He had earlier made his 600
yard debut at the track. In 1931/2, Future Cutlet became the race's only
dual winner. Later, in the fifties, both Pigalle Wonder (dead heat) and Mile
Bush Pride were also successful. Another notable trophy competed for at West Ham was the Cambridgeshire.
At any one time, over 200dogs were kenneled at the stadium in four blocks and
As to its trainers, Stanley Biss,
probably the greatest handler of bitches in the game first started out at West
Ham in the 1930s, while Classic winning handler Tommy Johnston was also based
there in the sixties.
A short film about retired Greyhounds which may be of interest 
About This Site
Thank you for visiting this site.
The site has been created for people who remember the good old days down at Custom House, to provide a historical database with the aid of your recollections and help.
