Station Name: LEA BRIDGE


[Source: Nick Catford]



Lea Bridge Stadium, seen here in 1933, was built on the site of the Lea Bridge Gardens shanty town in 1928; it opened on 14 July that year. 'The Bridge', as it was known, initially hosted speedway and was home to the Clapton Saints speedway team. From 1930 it was also used by Clapton Orient football club. At the time that Orient moved to the ground, spectator facilities included a covered stand on the southern side of the ground and embankments around the remainder. The Football League notified that no more matches could be played until the ground was improved. Improvements were later made to the ground, including a covered stand on the northern touchline and concrete terracing on the west, north and eastern sides of the stadium. The works increased the capacity to around 20,000, and Orient's record League crowd of 20,400 was set on 13 March 1937 when Millwall were beaten 1–0. In 1937 Clapton Orient moved to Osborne Road, Leyton, and were renamed Leyton Orient after WW2. The Lea Bridge Stadium was largely demolished by the early 1950s with the exception of the main stand which survived into the 1970s. In this view the northern ends of the station platforms are seen with Lee Bridge Junction and signal box in the centre of the picture. At the bottom the cast stone works is seen with four sidings running into the works.



Last updated: Sunday, 21-May-2017 14:29:44 CEST
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