An buɗe shi a hukumance a ranar 28 ga Afrilu 1877 kuma a cikin shekaru 28 na farko na wanzuwarsa kusan London Athletic Club ne kawai ke amfani da shi a matsayin filin wasa don taron wasannin motsa jiki kuma ba don ƙwallon ƙafa ba. A cikin 1904 ɗan kasuwa Gus Mears da ɗan'uwansa Joseph, waɗanda suka sayi ƙasa kusa da ita (a da babban lambun kasuwa) tare da manufar gudanar da wasannin ƙwallon ƙafa a yanzu 12.5 acre (51,000 m2) shafin. Stamford Bridge an tsara shi ne don dangin Mears ta sanannen masanin ƙwallon ƙafa Archibald Leitch, wanda kuma ya tsara Ibrox, Craven Cottage da Hampden Park.
Gadar Stamford