English Premier League champions Chelsea has unveiled plans for a new stadium design for its Stamford Bridge Ground which are based on the buttresses, pillars and gothic architecture of Westminster Abbey.
Owner Roman Abramovich says he wants the ground to a “cathedral of football”.
The Russian billionaire has assembled a professional A-list team comprising a masterplan architect (Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands), stadium architect (Herzog & De Meuron), strategic planners (Aecom), railways and transportation (WSP) and structural engineers (Schlaich Bergermann & Partner) to work on the plan
The plan will be unveiled today (Tuesday) at the start of a three-day public consultation at Stamford Bridge.
The exhibition for local residents will be the first glimpse for Chelsea fans of Abramovich’s blueprint for a rebuilt 60,000 stadium paying homage to the club’s history at their one and only venue.
And the history of the club’s surrounding neighbourhood has been studied to the extent that a modern version of Stamford Bridge itself — first mentioned in 1410 to be in need of repairs in the court records of King Henry IV — will be part of the grand design.
This attention to detail has even included researching the exact shade of the original Chelsea blue.
The building plan — with no estimated cost at such an early stage but likely to be well in excess of the mooted $750m— is being financed by Abramovich, who is conducting the whole ambitious project as a separate entity run by his people away from Chelsea Football Club.