The history of the Wembley Park area

Wembley Park is an area of 116 hectares (approx. 283 acres), bound by Empire Way, the Chiltern Line railway line and the Metropolitan and Jubilee overground lines. In 1895, Wembley became home to London's own short lived Eiffel Tower. During a trip to the Exhibition of France in 1889, Sir Edward Watkin, Chairman of the Metropolitan Railway and one of the first to push the idea of a channel tunnel, became greatly impressed with the newly built Eiffel Tower, which stood at over 894 feet high. Sir Watkin wanted to build an even taller tower on land he owned in Wembley Park. He set up the Metropolitan Tower Construction Company, and held an architectural competition inviting designs from all over the world. Many of the ideas sent in strongly resembled the Eiffel Tower. The proposals didn't impress the judges.

 

In March 1890 they grudgingly awarded first prize to a 1,200 feet high, eight-legged steel tower by Stewart, MacLaren and Dunn. The structure would have two platforms and a small area at the top. Restaurants, theatres, dancing rooms, exhibitions and Turkish baths, would be built on each platform, accessed by a lift. Sir Watkin wanted Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the Eiffel Tower, to build the Wembley Tower, but he refused. Sir Benjamin Baker, designer of the Forth Bridge in Scotland, was chosen instead. Foundations were laid in 1892 and the builders (who were also in the process of completing work on the Blackpool Tower), started work in June 1893.

 

The first stage of the Wembley Tower was completed in September 1895 and stood at 155 feet high, but by then the plan had been reduced to a cheaper four legged version. The ground the tower was built on also proved problematic, as it was marshy and the foundations had started to move. The project began to run behind schedule and eventually work stopped. Sir Watkin surrounded his incomplete tower with pleasure gardens featuring sports grounds, tea pagodas, bandstands and a lake. The park, served by the new Wembley Park Station, opened in May 1894.

 

Watkins Folly

The first stage of the tower did not open until 1896, by which time Sir Watkin had retired through ill health. At first large crowds visited the tower, but the number of visitors quickly declined. In 1899 the Tower Construction Company went into liquidation. Maintenance was neglected and around 1902 the Wembley Tower was declared unsafe and closed to the public, confirming its reputation and nickname 'Watkins Folly'.

 

In 1904 demolition work began, ending with the foundations being being blown up in 1907. The 2,700 tons of scrap steel were exported to Italy. In the early 1920s the park became the venue for the British Empire Exhibition, with Wembley Stadium being built on the site of the tower.

Updated 11/12/2009 12:02:54 PM