| Description | Highbury - citadel for Arsenal Football Club for over 90 years and home to the memories of over 10,000 matches. In this highly illustrated book, Bruce Smith exhaustively chronicles the life and times of the Gunners' home ground in north London, from the site's humble beginnings as college playing fields to its present status as one of the most recognisable pieces of football real estate in the world. Smith traces the development of the stadium, from its opening in 1913 after just 60 days of construction, when the club, known then as Woolwich Arsenal, moved there from across the river, and recalls the many events staged there since, footballing and otherwise. The book highlights how pioneering architects such as Archibald Leitch, Claude Waterlow Ferrier and William Binnie played a vital role in shaping Highbury as we know it today and how other personalities, including Sir Henry Norris, A.G. Kearney, Herbert Chapman and David Dein, have influenced its development. Highbury documents the important role and influence of the Football League, Premiership, FA Cup and European competitions in the ground's colourful history and, in addition, details the England internationals, representative encounters, FA Cup semi-finals and European play-offs which have taken place there, as well as the legendary Cooper v. Clay World Championship bout of 1966. This is a timely tribute to an iconic structure that has been part of the fabric of sporting history for almost a century, but one that will be no more when the club move to the custom-built Emirates Stadium just a few hundred metres down the road. Featuring many personal photographs by the author and others from the archives, this book is a comprehensive document of a legendary stadium and the people and events that have shaped it from beginning to end. |
