PA Images Archive (PA Images via Getty Images) George Scorey and his white horse 'Billy' (at the top of the image) during the 1923 FA Cup final. The vast majority of the old stadium was pulled down, including the famous twin towers, but its two heavy wooden gates, each weighing several tons, survived and are now in Chile.

However, the building was old and no longer met modern sporting requirements, and as such it was demolished between 20 to make way for a new Wembley Stadium, which was inaugurated in 2007 as part of the U.K.’s preparations to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The match was subsequently dubbed the “White Horse Final.”Ī century has passed since that game and the “cathedral of football” as Brazilian great Pelé once described the stadium has hosted the finals of World Cup, European Championship and Champions League, with many memorable moments in soccer history unfolding on the hallowed turf. Bolton won the game 2-0 and images of fans respectfully watching the game from the touchlines have passed into legend. Although the task appeared impossible, Scorey and Billy succeeded and, an hour after the game was scheduled to kick off, the teams emerged from the tunnel. With the game in danger of being called off, a police officer and his horse gained immortality: Constable George Scorey and his faithful steed, Billy, performed careful circuits of the pitch to push the crowd back. Workers at the Museum of Fashion in Santiago work on the gates after their arrival in Chile. With accesses blocked, many departed but the majority forced their way into the ground, filling not only the stands but also the playing surface itself. In the end, 300,000 people descended on Wembley - tickets were only available on the day at the stadium. Fearing that Wembley would not be filled to the rafters for the showpiece game of the season, the authorities launched a concerted campaign for spectators to attend. The first game the new stadium hosted was the FA Cup final of 1923, contested by Bolton Wanderers and West Ham. It soon became known simply by the name of the suburb in which it stood: Wembley. The stadium was originally called the British Empire Exhibition Stadium and had been constructed ahead of London staging the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. The venue had a standing capacity of 125,000 spectators and was built in an area of London envisaged for family recreation and where, years earlier, an aborted attempt to rival the Eiffel Tower in Paris had been launched (the uncompleted project, known as Watkin’s Tower, had been demolished in 1907).

Wembley Stadium first opened its gates to the public on April 28, 1923.

Gates the signifying monkey