Chelsea might be blocked from expanding Stamford Bridge due to Tudor monarch King Henry VIII.
Todd Boehly, Chelsea co-owner, highlighted on Monday that the club are currently exploring the possibility of expanding their Stamford Bridge home or moving elsewhere, with Earl’s Court a potential site for a new stadium.
“Inside of London, it’s really complex,” Boehly told Bloomberg. “It’s not as if we’re building something in the middle of a rural environment. We have a lot of constituencies to make sure that we care about. Certainly the Chelsea fanbase is one. Long-term, we’re going to be building something new and we’ll figure it out.”
Chelsea are blocked from Stamford Bridge redevelopment by King Henry VIII
With a capacity of just over 40,000, Stamford Bridge is now only the ninth largest stadium in the Premier League, with London sides Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal all playing their home games at bigger grounds in the capital.
As Boehly highlights, there are key issues within central London over building new or updating existing structures. Stamford Bridge is no different, with King Henry VIII bizarrely presenting himself as an issue to plans despite not having been on the throne in nearly 500 years.
In Richmond Park lies King Henry’s Mound, which provides a perfect view of St. Paul’s Cathedral from miles away. In 2020, Historic England protected the view from the mound, meaning that no new buildings are legally allowed to obscure the sight line.
“The St. Paul’s view has been faithfully preserved by generations of landscapers who have created a tree-framed sightline from the mound to the dome. The view is now protected and no new building is allowed to impede it,” The Royal Parks states.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, Stamford Bridge sits directly along that view, meaning any work done to upgrade the stadium could block the perfect view to the cathedral.
Reports have previously suggested that Chelsea have considered digging down to lower the stadium so that any new work wouldn’t impede the view, but that also comes with issues regarding local residents.
The aforementioned Boehly interview even saw him suggest a potential split from his co-owners Clearlake Capital could happen if both parties aren’t alligned on what should happen to the stadium.
“We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out,” he said. “That’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways.”
