Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: nick harper on July 08, 2011, 12:05:31 PM

Title: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: nick harper on July 08, 2011, 12:05:31 PM
http://www.homesoffootball.co.uk/collection/search/aston%20villa/1/32/

Apologies if posted before but there are some nice pictures here. Can be bought aswell.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Reuben on July 08, 2011, 12:16:03 PM
Some of them are very random.  Brought back memories though!
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on July 08, 2011, 12:19:46 PM
Thanks. I love the ones underneath the old Upper Trinity as I used to sit there with my Mom and Dad in the 3rd division.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: ADVILLAFAN on July 08, 2011, 12:28:17 PM
Great pictures - I particularly like the night time pictures of our old stand.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Pete3206 on July 08, 2011, 04:25:11 PM
Wow, great stuff
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: villasjf on July 08, 2011, 05:20:08 PM
very good pics
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: curiousorange on July 08, 2011, 07:29:46 PM
How can you fail to love a stadium that looked like that?
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: The Left Side on July 08, 2011, 08:24:15 PM
Great pics, thanks for posting.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: darren woolley on July 09, 2011, 07:12:12 AM
Good pictures really enjoyed looking at them.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on July 09, 2011, 07:22:32 AM
Thanks. I love the ones underneath the old Upper Trinity as I used to sit there with my Mom and Dad in the 3rd division.

Just realised my stupid wording in the above statement. I guess if we had gone up into the seats above we may have seen some of the football being played. :-[
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on July 21, 2011, 10:21:56 AM
Some good stills on this youtube clip, some  I have  seen before some I havent.

  [/youtube]
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Hookeysmith on July 22, 2011, 12:51:52 PM
Always used to fuck me off when the tv went on about the magnificent Kop and Stretford ends

Nothing and i mean nothing compared to seeing that old Holte full to the rafters
NOt a direct quote but did Andy Gray not say that when he walked out of the tunnel it made him go cold and he had never seen anything like it

Also, without sounding like an old fart - i know the conditions were shit and the height of food offerings were a horrible pie with a Bovril

But wasnt football just a better game and time then? Rather than the sterile, sanitised ladydar shit of today
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: dave.woodhall on July 22, 2011, 02:13:25 PM
1:31. Trinity Road with Carriage Drive and the bowling green still intact is awesome.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Villan For Life on July 22, 2011, 06:23:41 PM
The final two pictures showing the Trinity demolition are depressing.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on July 22, 2011, 08:34:19 PM
1:31. Trinity Road with Carriage Drive and the bowling green still intact is awesome.

Your right. I put that on full screen and paused it to get a full appreciation. If you were walking down just to the left of the Trinity steps its all tree lined ! What date would it be ? I assume it was like that until the supporters club building was put there.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: dave.woodhall on July 23, 2011, 12:56:37 AM
1:31. Trinity Road with Carriage Drive and the bowling green still intact is awesome.

Your right. I put that on full screen and paused it to get a full appreciation. If you were walking down just to the left of the Trinity steps its all tree lined ! What date would it be ? I assume it was like that until the supporters club building was put there.

I think it was like that until around the early sixties.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: pooligan on July 23, 2011, 03:05:31 AM
Hi Dave, I was interested to read your article mentioning the Bowling green and carriage drive. I can remember it and i don't think i have seen any other ground with such a grand entrance. I can remember a lot of outrage  among supporters when it was decided to build on it .Have you any idea who was responsible for the decision to build on it.My money would be on a certain Doug Ellis.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on July 23, 2011, 07:34:49 AM
I dont remember it like that and I've been going since 1966 (pre-Ellis). I'm pretty sure the supporters club buidling was already in place, as Dave said early sixties. So blame the old board, Normansell, Norman Smith etc.
Being a young lad I dont think I ever went in the supporters club properly, perhaps just at the front reception to get coach tickets to away games. I think they sold Villa bingo tickets too, a piece of card you would open up and then play costing something like 2/-. My Dad must have bought me one because I won £10 ! A man called Charles Tabberner was in charge.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: pooligan on July 23, 2011, 08:26:53 AM
Charles Tabberner ,now there is a man i have never forgotten. I can well remember going to book up on the Traveller's club coaches to a match at Swindon. Although my friend and i were members he refused to let us book as we were wearing Doc Martens and when we said we would wear ordinary shoes on the day he just told us to clear off. As it was the only away game i missed all season you could say he was not exactly someone i had much time for.

I started going to Villa Park in 1963, So the supporters club probably was built mid 60s onwards. I only suggested it might have been Ellis who got rid of the bowling green because i saw what he did to the Trinity Road stand. If i remember correctly,one of the reasons given for the removal of the bowling green was the cost of it's upkeep
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: dave.woodhall on July 23, 2011, 04:47:54 PM
I've been looking through the Simon Inglis Villa Park book and I can't see anything about the bowling green and Carriage Drive being demolished except for a reference to the Lions Club opening on the site of the old bowling green in 1967 (although it also says 1966). The old training ground on Trinity Rd was sold in 1965 so that's when they may have gone.

We should make some allowances for what the board did then - old buildings were being demolished all over the city and in any case the club were absolutely skint.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: The Man With A Stick on July 24, 2011, 05:24:06 PM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: dave.woodhall on July 25, 2011, 04:25:12 PM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?

WW1. The ground was planned to hold 130,000.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Dr Butler on July 26, 2011, 10:22:13 AM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?

WW1. The ground was planned to hold 130,000.

that would of been something to see.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: London Villan on July 29, 2011, 10:53:31 PM
Wasn't the supporters club built for the World Cup  in 66?
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: maidstonevillain on August 05, 2011, 12:48:22 PM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?

It was still a pretty big terrace in its own right. I think because it did not have a roof, and the replacement North stand is relatively small, people tend to underestimate how large the Witton End was.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: fordbeck on August 13, 2011, 09:38:23 AM
Lovely stained glass & solid wood handrails.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: eamonn on August 18, 2011, 06:20:26 PM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?

WW1. The ground was planned to hold 130,000.

that would of been something to see.

Might have needed to pitch the Hereford game at a penny a ticket.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Flamingo Lane on August 19, 2011, 09:31:44 PM
Wow.  have just seen the youtube compilation of photos, and it brings tears.

My memory of the old Trinity Road stand, of going in there match after match with my dad, is that literally a few steps up off the road would take me out out to a view that would set my hard pounding.
Title: Re: Nostalgic Pictures of Villa Park
Post by: Dave Clark Five on August 20, 2011, 02:10:47 AM
I wish we'd built the Holte-sized terrace at the Witton End, just imagine it.  Didn't WW2 get in the way?

It was still a pretty big terrace in its own right. I think because it did not have a roof, and the replacement North stand is relatively small, people tend to underestimate how large the Witton End was.

I think the Witton End held 18000 before it was finally demolished. When you consider that the Holte End now holds about 13500 it shows how big it was. The Holte held 28000 in the early 70s until they had to do some work on the steps and the crush barriers.
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