The Hawthorns

The Hawthorns has been home to West Bromwich Albion since 1900, when the club moved from their previous ground at Stoney Lane, and it holds the distinction of being the highest ground above sea level of any Premier League or Championship club, sitting at 551 feet above sea level on the ridge between West Bromwich and Handsworth. The ground takes its name from the hawthorn bushes that lined the site when the club first arrived, and for over 125 years it has served as the fortress of one of the founding members of the Football League, a club whose history is woven into the fabric of the Black Country.

The Hawthorns hosted West Brom through their most successful era in the early and mid-twentieth century, when the Baggies won the FA Cup five times and the First Division championship in 1919-20. The ground was the home of legendary figures including Jeff Astle, the centre-forward whose headed goals propelled West Brom to FA Cup glory in 1968 and who remains one of the most beloved figures in the club's history. The Smethwick End, renamed in honour of Astle, became the spiritual home of the most passionate Albion supporters, while the Birmingham Road End at the opposite goal provided the vocal counterpoint. The Halfords Lane Stand and the East Stand complete the four-sided configuration.

The stadium underwent significant modernisation from the 1990s onwards, with new stands replacing the old terracing to create a modern all-seater venue with a capacity approaching 27,000. The Hawthorns hosted Premier League football during West Brom's various spells in the top flight, most memorably during the 'Great Escape' of 2004-05, when the Baggies became the first team in Premier League history to survive relegation after being bottom of the table at Christmas. The scenes of joy at The Hawthorns on the final day of that season, when results elsewhere conspired to keep West Brom up, remain among the most dramatic in Premier League history.

Today, The Hawthorns remains one of the Championship's most traditional and atmospheric grounds, its elevated location and Black Country setting giving it a distinctive character that reflects the proud, working-class heritage of West Bromwich Albion. The ground is well served by The Hawthorns railway and Metro stations, both within yards of the turnstiles, making it one of the best-connected stadiums in the Midlands. For all the modernisation it has undergone, the ground retains the essential quality of an old-fashioned English football ground — tight, intense, and unforgiving for visiting teams — and it continues to serve as a proud symbol of one of the country's most historic and characterful football clubs.