The West Ham United Football Club that we know today was officially established 124 years ago in 1900 but the story of its founding goes back even further than that.

Here, we take a deeper look into West Ham history, going into real detail about how the club was established and the various names and monikers the Hammers went under.

Castle Swifts and Old St Luke’s

The repair yard at Castle Shipping Lane formed a football club called Castle Swifts in 1892. The team played very close to the Thames Ironworks where West Ham police station is now.

Workers, who were mostly from Scotland, were paid extra to play and it was regarded as the first professional club in Essex.

Two years after its formation, the team merged with Old St Luke’s and the club was renamed Old Castle Swifts. However, in 1895, the Castle Shipping Lane’s employer Donald Currie stopped bankrolling the team and it went bankrupt.

Thames Ironworks FC and how West Ham was founded

Out of the ashes of Old Castle Swifts, a new benefactor was found in the form of Arnold Hills. He was the chairman of the nearby Thames Ironworks and Shipping Company and he wanted a works team.

When the lease for Old Castle Swifts’ ground became available, Hills saw his opportunity to take ownership of Hermit Road, where the club had played since its amalgamation with Old St Luke’s.

Thames Ironworks FC was formed, initially as an amateur side. However, after the building of a new stadium at the Memorial Grounds following heavy investment from Hills, the team became professional in 1898.

The club’s professional status meant that the side moved further and further away from the concept of being a team for the Ironworks, and just two years later in 1900, it was renamed West Ham United Football Club.

Despite the name change, they stayed at the Memorial Grounds and the majority of those who played and managed Thames Ironworks FC moved across. Nicknames “The Hammers” and The Irons” also stuck.

How old is West Ham compared to its London rivals?

The official establishment of West Ham in 1900 means they were formed after Tottenham Hotspur (founded in 1882) and Arsenal (who were formed in 1886).

However, the Hammers were established in their current form five years prior to Chelsea’s founding in 1905.

In terms of all Premier League clubs, Nottingham Forest is the oldest team, having been established in 1865. The oldest club in English football history is Sheffield FC which was founded in 1857.