Villa Park is still one of the country's
premier grounds, although some of its charm and history have been lost
through redevelopment in recent years.
WHOLLY
TRINITY:The new Trinity Road stand at Villa Park, sadly
it meant the end for the architectural delights of its predecessor.
The ground is within easy reach of the
M6, once you've negotiated Spaghetti Junction. Despite being in one of Birmingham's
poorer inner city suburbs, Villa Park is next to a park, overlooked by the
Jacobean manor house Aston Hall.
The giant Holte End "home" stand behind the goal is still
the largest "kop" in the league and an imposing sight when full,
seen from the away end opposite.
The new Trinity Road stand to the right is functional, but its glass
exterior (not helped by plastic lettering) a disappointing replacement
for its splendid predecessor, with facade, mosaic and staircase. Opposite
this is in Witton Lane, the smaller two-tier Doug Ellis Stand, named after
the club's long-serving chairman.
Parking can be a bit of a headache - best to look for one of a number
of smaller unofficial carparks. Quite a few of the pubs nearest the ground
are for home supporters only - not that you're missing a great deal.
Man
to watch
Away fans are seated behind the
goal downstairs in the North Stand, entrance in Witton Lane. There are
usually a minimum of 1,600 tickets but if there is demand, further seating
is provided in the downstairs section of the Doug Ellis Stand adjoining
it. Prices are reasonable for the Premiership. Bar and toilet facilities
are a bit limited.
Exit M6 at junction 8, Spaghetti
Junction - take signs for Birmingham city centre, take next left
turn, (sign-posted Aston/Waterlinks) after a quarter of a mile.
Then take a left at the island and there is limited street parking
and some organised pay parking (£4-5) in the area. There are
more temporary carparks in the area off Trinity Road, look for the
signs. There is also some supervised street parking off Electric
Avenue. Otherwise take your chances in the streets; kids often ask
for money "to look after your car," so it's best to comply...
There are fairly regular services
from Birmingham New Street, to Aston (for home supporters)
and Witton (for away fans). Aston station is 10-15 minutes
walk from the ground and Witton is five minutes from the away end.
Turn left and first left at the island and you can't miss it.
There are also buses
- including the No 7 from Bull Street (left at top end of Corporation
Street) takes you to the island at the end of Witton Lane.
City centre taxis from the New
Street station concourse or outside down from the ramp in Navigation
Street.
B Sky Cars 0121 551 1111 ; InterCity Cars 0121 555
5555; Friendly Cars 0121 356 2222; Blue Line Cars
0121 523 7211 .
Birmingham has changed a lot from
the 60s high-rise and concrete image. There are plenty of pubs, clubs
and good restaurants in the city centre. The recently redeveloped Bull
Ring Shopping Centre has given a shot in the arm to the city as a retail
destination; if you like designer shops and good places to eat, then try
The Mailboxshopping centre off Navigation Street. This backs onto the
city's canal network is a must. You can then walk along the tow-paths
to more pubs and restaurants at Brindley Place near the Gas Street Basin
interchange of canals. There is also in that area, the NIA
(for pop and rock), the Symphony
Hall and for theatre, the Birmingham Rep and Birmingham Hippodrome. For food, Brum is the birthplace
of the Balti - the best
of these are cheap, unlicensed and lit-up curry restaurants in the Balti
"triangle" of Sparkhill, or through the Bristol Road at Selly Oak (easily
reached by bus or train from New Street). The Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery and interactive
Think Tank science museum are two other places to visit,
while Cadbury World at the factory in Bournville (five miles south of
the city centre) is a popular attraction for the chocoholic.
Tourist information: The Rotunda
150 New Street
Birmingham
B2 4PA
Tel: 0870 2250127
Real ale/near ground
The Bartons Arms (144
High Street, Aston) on the A34. Open from 12pm, food until 2.30pm
and 5.30pm-10pm. A fabulous looking "heritage" pub,
restored to its Edwardian splendour inside and out, with up to eight
real ales if you're lucky, mostly Oakhams, with a huge and excellent
Thai menu - available from 12 noon-2pm and again after the match after
5.30pm. A bit chaotic in recent months after the landlord left but
there's a new manager in now and things seem to have improved. The
wide choice of bottled beers seems to have disappeared sadly, but
the food is still top notch. It's about 20 minutes walk from the pub
to the ground, but worth it and well behaved away fans are welcomed
in the relaxed atmosphere. Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin were among
artists who once stayed here when appearing at the now demolished
Aston Hippodrome opposite.
You can also catch
the No7 bus from the city centre (£1.50, £3 all-day saver),
or the Nos 33, 34, 51, 52, 107, 113 also pass the pub, mostly going
from Bull Street in the city centre. The pub has a small car park but there is some street parking up the hill.
To find it on foot from
the ground, take Bevington Road alongside the Upper Grounds
pub in Trinity Road, fork right into Whitehead Road then it's a
straight walk passing two schools on the right until you reach Victoria
Road. Then cross the road past the telephone kiosk and slightly
uphill into Selston Road through the small estate. Walk downhill
past the gospel hall and and you will see the Barton Arms below
you down to your right, over the pedestrian crossing. To find the ground from the pub - follow the instructions backwards! Bimingham
CAMRA pub of the year 2004. DAFTS recommended. Click for
street map
The Villa Tavern, Holborn Hill, Nechells/Aston
Cross over the road out of Aston railway station, under the bridge
and walk up the hill for five minutes to reach this little jewel
of a pub dating from the 1920s - tiled inside and some fairly good
Ansells ales. Webpage
Near the ground
Quite a few pubs around Villa
Park are "home fans only", and look shut, or charge a quid to get
in, or all three! These include The Upper Grounds in Trinity
Road (CURRENTLY CLOSED - so it's not open to ANY fans
now) and the quite good Banks' pub, the Aston Tavern in
Witton Lane, closest to the ground.
Well actually, the nearest pub to the ground is now the Holte
Hotel, an Edwardian building beautifully restored by Villa owner
Randy Lerner, on the corner of Trinity Road and Witton Lane. But the catch is it's
not open to fans on match-days (for corporate guests only) but worth
a visit any other time, as it's re-opened after years of neglect
and near dereliction. Excellent buffet-style lunches, comfortable
sofas dotted around and there are some old photos on the walls.
Meanwhile, the club's Holte Suite right by the Holte End stand is a vast barn of a place, with Sky on big screen, lunches and good bar service but is open to season ticket holders only (until it gets full).
Cap and Gown, 458 Witton Road
Quite a big club close to the ground, which has separate rooms and
entrances for home and away fans - doormen on duty and it costs £1
entry. Or further along (right from Witton Station) down the hill is The Yew Tree which some Darlo fans used before the 2000 Cup tie and it was a typical local boozer.
King Edward VII, Aston Hall Road
Halfway between Spaghetti Junction and the ground; if walking it's
under the Aston Expressway and around as the road twists right away
from the ground. Traditional local, in a desert of boarded up homes
and demolition. After a season being closed, this has now re-opened
with more than just a lick of paint. Quite tastefully decorated
(for those who remember the old Star Wars Bar, as we called it,
you'd hardly recognise it), it's been refurbished and restored
with sympathy to its original Edwardian features. There are photos
of old Aston, it serves food and Green King IPA is a nod to real
ale, while M&B Mild is another option, although Carling is the cold
drink of choice for most. On match days, the barmaids don Villa
training tops, there is football and the discreet flat screens and
a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Recently re-opened after being closed
for a season.
The Manor, Portland Street
Smallish Ansells pub, not far from the old brewery - 15 minutes
walk from the ground, next to industrial estate. Home fans pack
in before the game, Sky TV, pool and limited rolls. £5
parking usually available on industrial estate next door.
A bit of a trek (25 minute walk or No 11 bus down Aston Lane)
on Perry Barr island is The Crown and Cushion very close
to the site of Villa's Victorian home, before Villa Park. Locals
pub, friendly enough on our visit, with Ansells Mild, John Smiths,
pool tables and Sky screens. Serves pasties.
Real ale/city centre
There are also some good city
centre pub suggestions on the Birmingham
CAMRA site, with The
Anchor Inn 308 Bradford St, corner of Rea St, Digbeth
near the back end of the coach station, a great Irish real ale pub,
with regular beer festivals and a small terrace outside for good
weather. This has lots of different rooms, with a proper bar feel.
Now well established with a clutch
of awards is The Wellington on Bennett's Hill, off New Street.
Almost at the top of the hill on the right (up from Barclays Bank
on New Street).
It has a vast choice of pumps, with Black Country ales the "house
beers" but there is a good choice from around the country.
As well as happy hours, the pub also allows customers to bring in
their own packed lunches or sandwiches from the many outlets nearby
serving the usual office crowd. It's only downside is its popularity, and it can get crowded with weekend tickers even on matchdays.
The Old Contemptibles, 176 Edmund St, off Livery Street
This is an excellent real ale city centre alternative, close to
Snow Hill station and a short walk from Colmore Row. They seem to
take a great pride here in offering a choice of about four or five
changing ales at any one time, welcoming customers' suggestions
for future beers. There is also a substantial menu, including their
speciality sausages and mash (costing around £8). Restored in 2007
with Victorian features - it was already named after the Great War
veterans who drank here for years. There are a sprinkling of comfy
chairs and sofas, even the plasma TV in the bar is subtley disguised
in an old fashioned frame and doesn't intrude.
The Old Joint Stock,
a Fullers' pub at 4 Temple Row, opposite St Philip's cathedral,
and Bennett's, Bennett's Hill off New Street
and The Toad in Hurst Street, for its footie screens.
A little further out, just south of the city centre, is the Lamp
Tavern, 157 Barford Street, Highgate, a one-room pub in
a back street off the A441 - not too far from Digbeth coach station.
It has five real ales on, including Everards and Stanway, and a
mild. For
streetmap
In the Jewellery Quarter (take the Metro from Snow Hill, the
No 8 inner circle bus or walk), is the Red
Lion95 Warstone Lane, B18 6NG, an excellent two-room
free house, which had about four real ales on during our visit -
including a local Aston brew. They also serve a great range of food,
including all-day breakfasts from 10am. There is also its sister pub The Lord Clifden34 Great Hampton St, B18 6AA. Both pubs are also showcases for contemporary art.
The ground
has a fairly good range of pies - beef and Balti, pizza slices, tasteless
burgers though, but the chip butties are good value. Also chocolate,
tea and coffee but no veggie option to speak of. There are lots of
burger vans around Villa Park, due in part to the lack of decent chippies.
There is one though, which serves good helpings of fish and chips
and fried chicken at the end of Bevington Road.
There is also a small unlicenced Balti between Witton Lane and
Witton station, which is open for lunches before the match - or
a meal after. You're welcome to bring drink - off licence across
the island.
The Villa websites aren't the best
to look at or as innovative as some others in this division, but there's
plenty of choice as far as content goes. They include the best, which
is Heroes and
Villains, which is the web version of the long-running printed fanzine
of the same name (which costs £1.50). The site is mainly a busy
messageboard. Also VillaTalk,
another independent webzine, with opinion articles with posted replies
and a messageboard. The
official site is updated regularly. The Holteenders
Rivals site is quite low key, with its message board not as busy as
the club's others.
Contact
details:
Aston Villa FC:
0121 327 2299
No responsibility is taken for accuracy,
if in doubt check before travelling.
It's
all here for details of Tickets, Travel,
Things to Do, Eat and Drink and
Links
To find it on foot from
the ground, take Bevington Road alongside the Upper Grounds
pub in Trinity Road, fork right into Whitehead Road then it's a
straight walk passing two schools on the right until you reach Victoria
Road. Then cross the road past the telephone kiosk and slightly
uphill into Selston Road through the small estate. Walk downhill
past the gospel hall and and you will see the Barton Arms below
you down to your right, over the pedestrian crossing. To find the ground from the pub - follow the instructions backwards! Bimingham
CAMRA pub of the year 2004. DAFTS recommended. Click for
Now well established with a clutch
of awards is The Wellington on Bennett's Hill, off New Street.
Almost at the top of the hill on the right (up from Barclays Bank
on New Street).
