The VillaWeb - Villa Park

villa park

		It's so pretty. Image copyright © 1998 First House Aerial Photography Phone (+44) 0121 622 3065. All copying without permission is prohibited.

History

Villa's early games (between 1874 and 1876) were played in parkland around Aston Hall but this soon proved to be inadequate as the club's popularity grew.

George Ramsay recognised this and organised Villa's first real ground by sub-renting a field in Perry Barr off a local butcher for 5 a year. A nearby blacksmith's shed was used as a dressing room, and the club headquarters was set up at a nearby pub.

Villa played at Perry Barr for 20 years before moving to Villa Park towards the end of the glorious double winning season of 1896-97.

Villa's new ground - then called Aston Lower Grounds (now called Villa Park) - was officially opened on Easter Saturday, 17 April 1897. A cycle track ran around the outside of the pitch, there was a stand which seated 5,500 with standing room for 4,500 in front, and room for 8,000 on the Trinity Road side of the ground.

Mark Phillips, 15/3/95

Facts about Villa Park

Pitch	:	Dimensions: 105.1 by 68.6 metres. Grass roots sown together for greater resistance, undersoil heating installed.
Record Attendance	:	76.588 v Derby, FA Cup Sixth round, March, 1946.
Record Home Win	:	13-0 v Wednesbury Old Athletic, FA Cup, First Round, Oct. 1886.
Capacity	:	39.339 (all seated).
Address	:	Villa Park Trinity Road Birmingham B6 6HE England

Villa Park used to be Mid Victorian Aston Lower Grounds Amusement Park. It was the natural home for Aston Villa when formed in 1874.
It has hosted lacrosse games played by the Iroquois Indians from Canada, England versus Australia cricket matches and bike races.
Villa moved to Perry Barr in 1876/77, but the Lower Grounds still hosted big games such as Cup Semifinals in 1884 and 1890.
In 1897 Villa - holders of the League and Cup Double - returned to a re-developed Lower Grounds ..... later called Villa Park. The first game back was a friendly against Blackburn.
Villa were charged 250 pounds per year rent but with an option to buy within 21 years at five shillings (25 pence) a square yard.
The old aquarium, skating rink and restaurant were the offices - the pitch used to be the lake! Until 1914 a concrete cycle track surrounded the pitch.
The Trinity Road stand was built in 1922 but it's official opening was delayed after arguments with builders. The Duke of York (later King George VI) did the honours.
The Holte End banking was built up and finished in 1940. The Trinity Road Stand was re-fitted as an air raid shelter and a rifle company occupied the home dressing room.
Floodlights were firs used in 1958 and the Holte End covered in 1962 (cost 40.000 pounds). At one time it was (just) the biggest Kop in the country.
Villa Park hosted games for the 1966 World Cup and underwent a 99.000 pound facelift for the tournament.
The impressive North Stand was built in the late 1970s, but financial errors saw the club in hot water which took years to recover from.
Holte End is - after it has been reconstructed - the largest end-stand in Europe! It holds an impressive 13.600 spectators.
Undersoil heating was never really installed at Villa Park until June 1996, right after the Euro 96 matches. Well timed, as the winter ahead proved to postpone 80% of the matches around Christmas and New year. The investment cost Villa £15.000, and the installation took 8 weeks.

Pictures

Holte End

Doug Ellis Stand		Trinity Road Stand

North Stand

All images copyright © 1997 Alan Jones, Mikael Tegbrink and Christian Jahnsen. All rights reserved. Not for distribution without the permission of the owners. Thanks to Alan Jones (5 pics) and Mikael Tegbrink (4 pics) for doing the photographs and to Mark Lawton for scanning Alan's.

For more fantastic pictures from Villa Park, have a go at Dave Walls' site, and the Belgian/Dutch Supporters Club's site.