My TARDIS of the imagination really seems to have a mind of
its own. Not only does it steadfastly
refuse to leave London, but this time it’s taken me to a building that I did
actually see for myself on many occasions, and even attended an FA Cup Final
replay in it. This is Wembley Stadium.
Or rather, I should say, Wembley Empire Stadium. It was
built in 1923 for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924. Well, if you read
yesterday’s post about the Imperial Institute you’ll know my feelings about
that. Still, the Stadium hosted its first footballing event before the
exhibition, the 1923 FA Cup Final, and it will be remembered as the home of English
football. Not least because it was the scene of England’s only World Cup win in
1966. Sadly I was only two years old at the time and have no memory of this.
The Stadium was also the main venue for the 1948 Olympic
Games. In its time London has had 3 Olympic Stadia – the 1908 White City
Stadium was demolished in the 1980s, the Empire Stadium was demolished in 2002,
and only the London Stadium from the 2012 Olympics remains.
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