Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

'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.

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Library Journal Review

Completed in London in 1924, the original Wembley Stadium was a revered landmark in the world of football (soccer to American readers). But as this essay collection notes, it was "a building of limited architectural interest." The distinctive 133-meter arch of the new stadium, designed by Foster+Partners and HOK Sport, insures that the same will not be said of Wembley now. Barclay, football correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, and architectural historian and critic Powell describe the development of the new stadium while also tracing the history of the first Wembley and the legendary football matches that defined it. The text is accompanied by numerous historical and contemporary photographs, plans of the new stadium, and Norman Foster's sketches from the design process. This volume gives architectural students extensive context for the new stadium and football fans an homage to a beloved building and the continuing story of an icon. Recommended for public and architecture libraries.--Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.