'They think it's all over, it is now.' So, the immortal words of Ken Wolstenholme as Geoff Hurst rammed in his winner, it is for the old Wembley; long live the magnificent new stadium. With its spectacular 133-metre-high arch dramatically illuminating London's night skyline, we have a new icon worthy of the old building's beloved twin towers. Originally built for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, and in turn the site of the Olympic Games in 1948 and the unforgettable 1966 World Cup Final, the old Wembley Stadium with its landmark twin towers and famous 39 steps (now 107), was the epicentre of Britain's greatest sporting and entertainment achievements for nearly eighty years. With a bronzed Bobby Moore proudly standing guard at the gate, the legend of Wembley lives on in a gleaming new design. At almost four times the height of the original building, covering twice the area, and with 90,000 seats, the new Wembley Stadium is the largest and most sophisticated covered football stadium in the world. From the White Horse Final to Geoff Hurst's World Cup hat-trick, "Wembley Stadium: National Icon" takes readers to all the cup finals and internationals.
Striking photographs of all the great sporting and musical events, expert texts and a detailed record of the design and construction of the two buildings, old and new, make this the ideal gift book to treasure forever.
Author Biography
PATRICK BARCLAY is The Sunday Telegraph's football correspondent, he is a regular on TV and radio, as well as the acclaimed author of the book 'Mourinho: Anatomy of a Winner' (Orion). A former Sports Journalist of the Year with the rare honour - for a member of his profession - of having an entry in Who's Who, Patrick joined the Sunday Telegraph in 1996 from the Observer. Before that he was at the Independent, Today and Guardian. KENNETH POWELL is an architect and has been a leading architecture critic for many years. The editor, DAVID JENKINS is an architect, editor and writer based in the Foster studio. He is the former editor of the Architect's journal and editor of Norman Foster Works1, Works 2, Works 3 and Works 4.
