Arsenal Stadium

Arsenal Stadium stood in Highbury, a district of north London’s Islington borough. Built in 1913 on land once used by a local college, it became the home of Arsenal Football Club for 93 years. The ground was widely known simply as Highbury after the area where it stood. Over the decades it was remodelled twice, first in the 1930s when the East and West Stands took on their Art Deco shapes. Later, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, seating replaced terraces to meet new safety rules. When further expansion was blocked by local residents, the club chose to move to a larger ground. The stadium’s history includes more than football. It hosted England internationals and matches in the 1948 Olympic Games. Boxing, baseball and cricket were also played there, and the nearby Tube station was renamed Arsenal in 1932. The ground’s small pitch and the famous Clock End, with its 45-minute clock installed by manager Herbert Chapman, became well-known features. The North Bank terrace, home to the club’s most vocal supporters, was rebuilt in 1993 with modern facilities including a museum and food stands. Today the site is a residential area called Highbury Square. Parts of the old East and West Stands remain, preserved within the new buildings. The Clock End and North Bank stands were removed, but their memory lives on in the layout of the estate. The floodlights once used at Highbury were later sent to Dublin’s Dalymount Park. The stadium’s legacy endures in the club’s move to the Emirates Stadium and in the stories told about the ground that shaped Arsenal’s identity for nearly a century.