Hermit Road Hermit Road Hermit Road was a stadium located in Canning Town in London, England. It was the first home ground of football club Thames Ironworks, the works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. The club would later be reformed as West Ham United. The ground was used by Old St Luke's from 1892 and continued to be used after the club merged with Castle Swifts to become Old Castle Swifts, the first professional football club in Essex, for the 1894–95 season. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of the ground from Old Castle Swifts in the summer of
1899–1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. season the agent for two years, and Thames Ironworks for two weeks. The club also received a £25 fine. Payne, who was absent from the proceedings, was suspended, and soon resigned his post as club secretary. He was replaced in the position by Irons defender George Neill, thus beginning a history of the team appointing from within. Thames Ironworks lost their first fixture in the Southern League Division One 1–0 away at Reading on 16 September 1899, but managed their biggest league win of the season only two days later with 4–0 home win against Chatham. The game included two goals