Aston Villa History of The Beautiful Name - Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the Football Club 1874-2024

Thisis a captivating pictorial history map that traces the history of thefamous name through rare antique maps and images back to 1820, whereone such map shows the building "Aston Villa", from whichthe great clubs name was taken. Also featured is part of a rare 1833map showing the first "street" to be cut through the Manorof Aston - named Villa Street, after the imposing landmark GeorgianVilla, “Aston Villa”, located on the junction of HeathfieldRoad and Lozells Road. Another feature shows the arrival of theWesleyans, and the building of their chapel in 1865. in 1872 youngfellows of the chapel formed a cricket team. Keen enough on theircricket in the Summer months, they establish Aston Villa FootballClub in 1874 to play the new game of Association Football, so theycould be together in the Winter months.

AstonVilla's earliest games were played on the then famous "sportsmeadow", part of the great leisure complex opened in 1872, isfeatured on the work. Also featured is the "Wellington Roadground", Perry Barr, the first football home of Aston Villa,from where they played between 1876 and 1897.

In1888 Aston Villa director William McGregor became the founding fatherof the Football League, with Aston Villa being one of the twelvefounder clubs. One year later in 1889, back down at the Aston LowerGrounds, the famous sports meadow became lost to housing. DovehousePool is drained and in its place the owners of the leisure complexbuild a cycle track with a central sports ground.

In1897 Aston Villa leave Wellington Road, Perry Barr, and move to theAston Lower Grounds, the sports ground gradually became known as"Villa Park"

Tothe top left and right are rare images of match action from VillaPark, to the centre of these images is a rare match action picturecaptured from a 1901 "home" First Division game, againstarch rivals Small Heath, later to be named Birmingham City.

Theheading to the top of the work quotes "By the turn of the 20thcentury Aston Villa - the greatest name in football in every sense -had become of the most powerful sides in the country - They hadsecured the league title 5 times since the start of the leaguein 1888, and won the F.A Cup 3 times".

Theheading at the bottom of the work quotes " The City ofBirmingham with sinewy arms and sooty face, was forging its name inbrass and iron as the workshop of the World, when one Winters nightin 1874 a few young men stroked their whiskers and bestowed on a newborn football club a name unique in sporting history".