{"id":29021,"date":"2018-12-10T14:42:28","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T14:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=29021"},"modified":"2018-12-10T14:42:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T14:42:28","slug":"upton-park-and-life-after-the-boleyn-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/upton-park-and-life-after-the-boleyn-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Upton Park and life after the Boleyn Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chorus of cockney natter and shuffling of claret draped bodies had been a staple ingredient of East End charm for 112 years. The epicentre was the Boleyn Ground, but two and a half years since the club moved to Stratford, Upton Park has been left astray, now on the periphery of a football club it once called home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Ham United\u2019s move to the London Stadium had a clear objective- enhance the club brand, attract better players and compete for European football.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a major part of our strategy that West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium\u201d David Sullivan told reporters upon his arrival as club co-owner in 2010. And the idea didn\u2019t provoke the level of disdain from fans that it has now.<\/p>\n

It did however, create worry in Upton Park. The Boleyn Tavern is arguably the world\u2019s most famous football pub, just a stone\u2019s throw from where the Boleyn Ground once stood. It now gets by, but is one of few local businesses to survive the relocation of its main clientele.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was a bit of a mixture. It was sad when they told us.\u201d Nicky is a member of the bar staff at the Boleyn Tavern, and told Voice of London<\/em> about life after the club\u2019s move.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the regulars still come in here, some try and come down if they\u2019ve got a day off work. Business has been steady, but Saturdays are quieter than they used to be that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicky and the staff never received direct contact from the club. \u201cThey left us. We would\u2019ve liked some sort of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

The supporters club behind the pub has since closed, as has a caf\u00e9 on the opposite side of the street. After 80 years of business, Nathan\u2019s Pie and Mash was also forced to close as business deteriorated following the move.<\/p>\n

A very different picture is forming in Stratford. Not only is it the new home of West Ham, the Westfield\u2019s shopping centre is one of a few renovations that has revived the town. Olympics and football fever can still be felt in the surrounding area of the Olympic Park.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ross back at the Boleyn Tavern tells us his community has been left to fend for itself, and that he has stopped going to West Ham games due to the gentrified nature of the club\u2019s new home:<\/p>\n