Orient's Origins in Hackney

Orient’s origins can be traced back to Homerton College, a nonconformist teaching institution located on the north side of Homerton High Street, which relocated to Cambridge in 1894. Former pupils of the college formed a cricket club in 1881, naming it after the nearby Glyn Road. A footballing section was started in 1888, named Orient Football Club after the SS Orient, a large steamship that was launched in London the previous decade. The side played at various locations around Hackney, before settling at Millfields Road in 1900. Over the next thirty years, the O’s would enlarge the ground several times, allowing for a record attendance of 37,600 for a match against Spurs in March 1929 - which remains a record for any Orient home match.