Duke opens Trinity Road Stand for Villa's jubilee

[martin@ardenley]

Opened by the Duke of York in 1924

Official Site

Closed by Doug Ellis in 2001

[Mark Samuels]

Still breaks my heart to think it's gone. I miss it like a family member. Unbelievable to think Ellis could have sanctioned its destruction. A more enlightened regime would have saved the original Trinity. Just a shame Randy rolled into town a few years too late.

[Percy McCarthy]

I get a little bit jealous everytime there's a reporter standing in front of that beautiful stand at Ibrox (also built by Leitch). And the Trinity was even better. *sobs*

[OzVilla]

I'm all for progress and providing the paying customer with the facilities of the 21st century football stadium, but surely there must of been a way that the Trinty Road could have been refurbished and saved.

It always rankles with me the way the most beautiful stand in British football was torn down to put a very nice but wholly unmemorable stand in it's place.

Our direct link to our past destroyed from within.

One of Doug's darkest decisions imo.

[Billy Walker]

The only way to re salvage some of the Trinity Road magic is to make sure that the new Witton End Stand is as ambitious and grand in scale.  Getting the stadium up to 55-60k with a red brick, Trinity-esque goal end stand would be perfect and fully restore the ground to its undoubted place in football.

(No debates about could we fill it or afford it...I want to dream!)

[ChrissyPrice]

Fantastic old photo, although it would have been nice to be able to put names to all the faces.

The comments above will be echoed by virtually all Villa fans I suspect.

[VILLA MOLE]

i really never understood why thye didnt just redevelop the north stand instead of knocking down the Trinity. there was enough space for all the corperate you want .  The Trinity could have remained the family stand

[bilsim]

When I saw the picture in the programme of the gable smashed to pieces, a small part of me died. Such a beautiful piece of footballing architecture.

[VILLA MOLE]

When I saw the picture in the programme of the gable smashed to pieces, a small part of me died. Such a beautiful piece of footballing architecture.

i thought they were going to retain it and use it in the new stand

[Billy Walker]

i really never understood why thye didnt just redevelop the north stand instead of knocking down the Trinity. there was enough space for all the corperate you want .  The Trinity could have remained the family stand

Absolutely.  I can't quite understand how anyone who loves the club, or "gets" the club could have sanctioned the demolition to be honest.

I think the new Trinity was opened by Prince Charles (although I don't think I've ever seen photos of the occasion.)  If we do get a new Witton End it would be nice and fitting to get young William to do the honours!

[martin@ardenley]

I think the new Trinity was opened by Prince Charles (although I don't think I've ever seen photos of the occasion.)  If we do get a new Witton End it would be nice and fitting to get young William to do the honours!

[bilsim]

When I saw the picture in the programme of the gable smashed to pieces, a small part of me died. Such a beautiful piece of footballing architecture.

i thought they were going to retain it and use it in the new stand

I heard that aswell, but obviously they had no intention of doing so.

[Billy Walker]

I think the new Trinity was opened by Prince Charles (although I don't think I've ever seen photos of the occasion.)  If we do get a new Witton End it would be nice and fitting to get young William to do the honours!

Aha!  Thanks very much!

[paulavb6]

i,ve actually got some of the facade got it off a builder who was carrying out the demolition  complete with claret and blue and gold mosaic tiles   thought about donating it back to the club .
just wondered if anyone had any more

[Californian Villain]

It's not so much that it's gone, more about what replaced it - the club had the chance to build another iconic structure that would be admired for several generations....instead we got more mediocrity.