Twickenham Stoop/The Stoop (London)

Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop) is a sports stadium located in south-west London, England. The stadium is home to Harlequins rugby union team, who play in the Gallagher Premiership. The stadium has a capacity of 14,800 and is situated just across the road from Twickenham Stadium.

General information

Arena capacity: 14,800 spectators

Address: Langhorn Dr, Twickenham TW2 7SX, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51°27′1″N 0°20′39″W

Year of construction: 1963

Field: grass lawn

Seating plan of Twickenham Stoop

Charles Stanley Stand

Constructed for the start of the 2005–06 season, the Charles Stanley Stand (West Stand) is the Stoop’s main stand, with a capacity of approximately 4,000. This stand has the changing rooms, a row of executive boxes across the top of the stand, a Members’ Bar, the club’s offices, toilets and a club shop. At the top of the stand under the roof there is also a scoreboard and a gantry where the television cameras populate.

DHL Stand

The DHL Stand (East Stand) has a capacity of approximately 4,000 and has a row of corporate boxes across the top. The East Stand was the first to be constructed as part of the 1997 redevelopment of The Stoop. A score board also hangs under the roof. The stand has toilets, the main public bar, Debenture Lounge and Players’ Lounge. The area is also home to the “Mighty Quins Village” which is an area for children which consists of bouncy castle and face painting. The main public bar also has a stage where a live band performs after matches.

South Stand

The South Stand was opened for the 2009–10 season. It has new toilets, a real ale bar, the Quins Head, which sells Greene King IPA and guest ales and a club shop. The back of the stand also has a clock for the match.

North Stand

The North Stand houses approximately 2,000 and is the only stand with supporting pillars. There is a time clock to the top left of the stand.

The corner of the North and IG Stand has a memorial for Nick Duncombe who was a promising scrum half for Harlequins and won two caps for England. He also played for the England Sevens team in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He died of meningitis in 2003.

Where to buy tickets?

You can order tickets online with an excellent system that allows you to view a plan and select your own seats. If you prefer human contact, see the Official Site for contact details for the ticket office.

The ticket collection point is a portacabin by the turnstyles in the south-east corner of the ground.

How to get there?

The address of the Stoop is The Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 7SX. It’s very easy to get to:

By Car

Vehicle access to Twickenham Stoop is via Langhorn Drive, and the ground is within easy reach of the M3 and M4. Car parking is available at the ground.

By Train

The closest station to the ground is Twickenham, around 10-15 minutes walk from the stadium. Twickenham is served by regular services from London Waterloo to Reading, with the majority of trains calling at Clapham Junction for those connecting from other parts of the South of England. Upon exiting the station, turn right and then left at the roundabout. Signs will direct you left onto Court Way then left again onto Craneford Way – follow this road round until you reach the ground.

An alternative is Whitton station, which is also within a short walk of the stadium. Upon leaving the station, head North on Percy Road before taking a quick right onto Bridge Way. Follow this road until you reach Redway Drive, where you take a right then left onto the busy Chertsey Road, and continue until you reach the Stoop.

By Bike

There are the fabled ‘Tony Copsey Memorial’ Bike Racks in the car park behind the North Stand.

Where to eat and sleep?

The Cabbage Patch (another nickname of the main Twickenham stadium due to the land’s previous use) is the closest pub to the train station. As such, they are usually well prepared for the crowds with plenty of bars, TV screens and food on the go.

The Shack 68 is right beside Twickenham Station too, and is part owned by former England and Harlequins fullback Ugo Monye.

• The Misty Moon is also in the vicinity, formerly part of the Wetherspoons chain but now privately-owned.
• Three Kings on Heath Road is also rugby-friendly.
• The 17th Century White Swan has a pleasant location on the riverside, and although a slightly longer transfer from station to pint is still a popular place on match day.
• What can you bet on today? The answer is here.
• The Royal Oak (formerly the Twickenham Tup) is a large sports-friendly venue on Richmond Road.
• The William Webb Ellis is a Wetherspoons pub close to the train station.
• The Barmy Arms is another popular spot for rugby fans.

The Orange Tree is on the right as you exit Richmond station and offers live sport and easy access to the shuttle buses to the stadium.

The Sun Inn is hidden just off the main street in Richmond, but not from the regular rugby visitors.

The highly-recommended Turk’s Head pub on Winchester Road is en route between the station and the stadium, with live sports, food and a lovely pub garden to boot.

There is a wide range of interesting grub on offer at the Stoop, with an international cuisine stall in between the South and LV= Stand, in addition to sausages and hog baps on sale from various vendors dotted around the ground.

Away from the stadium, there is no desperate need to head back to Central London as you’ll find plenty of options in the bars and restaurants of Richmond and Twickenham, whilst the majority of bars listed above also serve food.

Whilst many visitors opt to stay in Central London and combine rugby with a spot of sightseeing, those who want to stay close to the stadium and avoid the hassle of the journey out can take advantage of the following:

• The Twickenham Marriott is an interesting choice, located right inside Twickenham (national) stadium!
• There is a Premier Inn within walking distance of the stadium.
• Twickenham Guest House is also close by.
• If you need an excuse to stay in the pub all night, why not try the Alexander Pope?
• The Twickenham branch of budget chain Travelodge is right beside Twickenham station.

Facilities

The Stoop is located in the heart of Twickenham and over the years has been redeveloped into a unique and excellent venue for conference and events, which makes The Stoop the perfect venue for all types of events.

Conferences

The professionally-finished facilities provide the perfect environment for a range of conference and meeting types. Each room features integrated AV and a range of facilities to allow your important meeting to run smoothly and impress your audience.

Executive boxes are also an ideal venue to conduct interviews in with space on the first-floor foyer for prospective candidates to use as a reception area.

From one-person office space to 400 delegate conferencing the stuff will work with you throughout the booking, planning and execution for your event.

Weddings

Whether your wedding reception is set to be a small and intimate affair or a 400-person extravaganza, Harlequins has the setting and packages that will be the perfect fit for you on your big day.

A unique and historic venue, the Twickenham Stoop will provide a backdrop like no other as you celebrate your union. Your personal events manager will be there with you every step of the way arranging DJs, lighting and liaising with your photographer.

While they make sure your day runs smoothly you can relax in one of our stylishly refurbished lounges, each with their own bar and comprehensive AV system. The highly-trained events staff will be on hand to serve you a wedding breakfast expertly prepared by the Head Chef and his team.

Dinners

The Twickenham Stoop provides a unique backdrop to your event. Whether it’s a grand 500 person five course meal in our Undercroft with room for drinks and dancing, or an intimate affair with friends and family overlooking our famous pitch, your dining experience is perfected to create an everlasting memory.

Head Chef Shaun Lawson has honed the kitchen team to a scalpel edge ready to provide you with incredible, mouth-watering menus covering everything from buffets to banquets.

Each of the function rooms comes ready equipped with a cash bar and, awaiting your requests, the hospitality team is all set to provide you with DJs, dance floors and drinks on arrival.

With packages starting at £45 per head that already include a DJ, arrival drinks and three-course meals, organizing your dinner with Harlequins couldn’t be simpler.

Christmas Parties

Unwrap something spectacular this Christmas with the Winter Wonderland parties in the heart of the Twickenham Stoop. Winter Wonderland is simply the coolest option around to celebrate the festive season with friends and colleagues.

Upon arrival you’ll be greeted with an ice cold glass of prosecco before a sumptuous three course dinner is served to your table. The magic continues after dinner in the magical setting with atmospheric lighting to add that extra sparkle to your evening, whilst dancing the night away with the in-house DJ.

Exhibitions

The Twickenham Stoop boasts a variety of function suites that can accommodate exhibitions throughout the year. Larger suites are all great blank canvas areas to help provide an event that is truly branded to your specifications and smaller rooms can host intimate product demonstrations within a unique setting. More than 350 car parking spaces provide ample access for guests.

The Undercroft suite located in the DHL Stand provides a 1114m exhibition hall, to which you have your own private entrance. The suite can accommodate up to 200 exhibitor stands and can be divided into three separate rooms. All exhibition spaces have easy access for loading and unloading, making any event easily accessible.

Accessibility

Access at the Stoop is excellent – the Etihad (east) stand bar has level access to the front and rear so nipping out for a burger is not a problem.

There is disabled parking behind the Etihad stand but get there early as the spaces fill up pretty quick.

There are wheelchair spaces in the Etihad stand but be warned you will probably have people walking around in front of you. The LV (west) Stand has a wheelchair platform at a high level towards the north end of the stand, access is by lift at the back of the stand.

There are two disabled toilets in the Etihad and LV stands.

Overall, the wheelchair users at Quins will tell you that the facilities at the Stoop are second only to Twickenham in terms of facilities for the disabled user in Europe.

History

In 1906, Harlequins were invited by the Rugby Football Union to use the new national stadium in Twickenham. In those early days, only one or two internationals at most were played there during the season, and it wasn’t long before the RFU ground became the headquarters of the Harlequin Football Club.

In 1963, Harlequins acquired an athletics ground with 14 acres (57,000 m2), sited just across the road from the RFU ground, which became the Harlequins training pitch. The ground was for many years named the Stoop Memorial Ground after Adrian Stoop, a former England international, longtime Harlequins player, and club president. In 2005, the club formally renamed it as Twickenham Stoop Stadium, but it is colloquially known simply as The Stoop, with even the Harlequins’ official website frequently using the informal name.