West ham united football club was founded in 1895 as the thames ironworks team thames ironworks were a shipbuilding company and west ham are also known as the irons or the hammers since 1904 their home has been the boleyn ground t shirt design reads 1895 the birth of football thames ironworks hermit road e16our crew neck short sleeved mens t shirts are 100 premium cotton in a soft pre shrunk jersey knit our womens t shirts are lighter weight 150g tees made with deluxe 30s soft st