Anfield '89
George Graham's side needed to beat Liverpool by two goals to take the title back to Highbury - a task most people thought was beyond them.
Arsenal defied the odds though, taking the lead through Alan Smith's header before Michael Thomas wrote his name in Club folklore with that famous stoppage-time strike.
Highbury - A history
It was Henry Norris who decided to move the Club from The Manor Ground in Plumstead to North London. Norris took over at Woolwich Arsenal while still chairman at Fulham in 1910.
His initial plan was to merge Fulham and Woolwich Arsenal, but the proposal was rejected by the Football League.
He was then told by the League that it was a conflict of interests to control both clubs, and so he chose to concentrate his efforts on Woolwich Arsenal — the first London club to turn professional and the first to be admitted to the League. In 1912/13 though, Woolwich Arsenal, already in desperate financial straits, were relegated from Division One (for the only time in the Club’s history) with a record low of just 18 points and 26 goals.
In a bid to revive the Gunners fortunes, and to increase the supporter base, Norris decided to move the Club. After originally sounding out sites at Battersea and Harringay, he decided on a plot of land in Highbury, the site of the playing fields of St John’s College of Divinity. Despite local opposition to the move, from residents and other north London football clubs, the deeds were signed early in 1913.
Arsenal paid £20,000 for a 21-year lease on six acres of land and, as part of the deal, agreed not to play at home on Christmas Day or Good Friday. The college remained at the southern end of the stadium until it burnt down at the end of the Second World War. The Club dropped ‘Woolwich’ from their name during the season following the move north of the river, but much work had to be done at Highbury before Arsenal could play their first game there.
The new stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch, who also designed stands for Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham and Glasgow Rangers. The pitch was levelled, a new grandstand was partly built, and turnstiles and terracing were installed - all at great expense to Norris (later Sir Henry Norris). The main stand was on the East side, and housed 9,000 spectators.
The first match was a 2-1 victory over Leicester Fosse, on September 6, 1913, with the stadium not entirely complete. When league football resumed after the First World War, Arsenal were a Division One team (they have been ever since) and in 1920 the ground hosted its first ever international fixture.
In 1925 the Club paid a further £64,000 to buy the site outright, and the restrictions on playing on Good Friday and Christmas Day were lifted.
The current West Stand was designed by architect Claude Waterlow Ferrier and was opened in December 1932. It was the most advanced grandstand ever seen in England and had seats for 4,000 in addition to standing capacity for 17,000. The two-tier stand cost £50,000 to build. It was in the 1930s that the stadium’s name was changed to Arsenal Stadium, and in October 1936, the art deco style East Stand (which is Grade Two listed) was opened.
This stand housed the offices, players’ facilities and the main entrance (the famous Marble Halls). It cost £130,000 and had seating for 8,000. It is in the Marble Halls that the bronze bust of Herbert Chapman, Arsenal’s legendary manager who died in 1934, was positioned, and has remained to this day. In the Second World War Arsenal Stadium was used as a first aid post.
During the war incendiary bombs destroyed the North Bank roof. In 1948 Highbury was used as one of the football venues during the London Olympic Games. In 1951 floodlights were added and in 1956 the North Bank roof was rebuilt. Undersoil heating followed in 1964 and extra seating was installed in the West Stand in 1969.
At the South end of the stadium, the practice pitch was replaced by an indoor training centre. The Clock End stand was redeveloped completely in 1989, to provide room for 48 executive boxes and further office space. In 1991, following the Taylor Report, work began to convert Highbury into an all-seater stadium.
A new, two-tier North Bank stand was opened in 1993, providing seating for 12,000 spectators, and also housing a shop and museum. Other modernisations have followed, including the introduction of two huge screens and electric scoreboards.
In 2006, after an emotional final season for the famous stadium, in which the team sported redcurrent jerseys as a nod to the first Arsenal teams to play there, the gates closes for the final time on Sunday, May 7.
In a fitting send off, Thierry Henry scored a hattrick as Arsenal beat Wigan Athletic 4-2 to secure a UEFA Champions League spot, at the expense of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Highbury - The Final Salute
Sunday, May 5, 2006 was an historic day at Highbury as the Club said goodbye after 93 years at the famous old stadium. After the jubilation of clinching fourth spot in the Premiership came a closing ceremony packed with memorable moments, from a parade of Arsenal legends to a firework display after the final countdown.
The Arsenal Crest
In 1888, just two years after the formation of the Club, Arsenal, then called Royal Arsenal, adopted its first crest (1).This was based largely on the coat of arms of the Borough of Woolwich (see main image above).
The Club was based in the Borough from its formation until 1913, playing at Plumstead Common; Sportsman Ground; Manor Ground; Invicta Ground and the Manor Ground again before heading across London to Highbury, Islington prior to the move to Emirates Stadium.
The original badge comprised three columns, which, although they look like chimneys, are in actual fact cannons. The significance of the cannons to the Borough of Woolwich derives from the long military history surrounding the area. The Royal Arsenal, Royal Artillery Regiment and various military hospitals – which still dot the landscape today – were all prominent in the Borough.
The cannons on the original crest were obviously a reference to the military influence in Woolwich and despite the Club’s ties with the area being cut 89 years ago, the cannon theme has developed throughout the years and has remained prominent on the Gunners different crests down the years, including the new design. In the early days the crest was not as significant a part of a football club’s identity as it is today. Shirts remained plain, unless commemorating a significant match, an FA Cup Final for example, and the crest was generally reserved for official headed stationary, matchday programmes and handbooks.
Following Arsenal’s move north to Highbury in 1913, it wasn’t immediately apparent that the Club would embrace the Woolwich Arsenal legacy and keep the cannon as a recognisable motif. The Club soon became just ‘Arsenal’, the Great War affected football for four seasons and recommencing in 1919/20 ‘normal’ football took some time to settle.
During all of this period there was no sign of a crest as such but, in the first matchday programme of the 1922/23 season, when the Gunners played Burnley, a new club crest (2) was revealed – a fearsome looking cannon – that would have sat proudly in the Royal Arsenal of Woolwich.
1) Royal Arsenal's first crest, 1888 2) Club crest from 1922-1925
Whoever designed this robust looking weapon saw his handiwork used by the Club for just three seasons however, and for the start of the 1925/26 season, the Gunners changed to a westward pointing, narrower cannon (3) with the legend ‘The Gunners’ remaining next to it.
The derivation of the narrower cannon has never been officially confirmed, but the cannons on the crest of the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse in Woolwich (4) are uncannily similar to that used as the Gunners’ symbol. This cannon crest remained prominent in the Arsenal matchday programme and other publications for 17 seasons.
It changed slightly through the years with the wording eventually disappearing, but, despite being usurped by the Victoria Concordia Crescit crest in 1949 it has remained a basic symbol of the Club ever since, featuring on official merchandise and stationary throughout the years right up until the present day.
3) Club crest from 1925-1949 4) The Royal Arsenal Gatehouse in Woolwich
Two seasons later and Arsenal unveiled its new crest which incorporated Marksman’s Latin maxim. Tom Whittaker explained in the 1949/50 handbook (which also included the new crest) that the Club had been impressed by Marksman’s motto and it had now been officially adopted by the Club.
The new crest also featured ‘Arsenal’ in a gothic style typeface, the westward facing cannon, the Borough of Islington’s coat of arms and ermine.
5) The first VCC 'Victoria Concordia Crescit' crest, 1949 6) A later version of the VCC crest
The Club’s identity has thus evolved over the years and the decision to formulate a new crest (8) in 2002 was two-fold. Firstly, as the VCC crest incorporated many separate elements introduced over a number of years, there was uncertainty surrounding its exact origination. Consequently, the Club was unable to copyright the crest. Secondly, it had always been one of the Club’s primary objectives to embrace the future and move forward. With Emirates Stadium on the horizon and the Gunners consistently challenging for domestic and European honours, the Club believed it was the ideal time to introduce a new crest.
7) 'Cleaned up' VCC crest, 2001 8) Current Club crest used since 2002
