ARSENAL’S former Highbury home hosted its final match in 2006.
As the Highbury Countdown Clock finally ticked down to zero, it was time for the Gunners to up sticks to the nearby, newly-built Emirates Stadium.
Following Arsenal’s departure, work began on developing their former home, where they had played since their 11-mile move from Woolwich in 1913, into flats.
Highbury had been designed by formidable late architect Archibald Leitch, the remarkable visionary behind the likes of Old Trafford, Anfield, White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge – among countless other stadiums across Britain.
The North Bank and Clock End were knocked down upon Arsenal’s exit – but as Grade II listed buildings, the old East and West Stands remained.
This led to them being incorporated into the design for Highbury Square, the apartment complex that now sits where Arsenal’s home used to.
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Over the three years following Arsenal’s final match there, Highbury Square was transformed into 650 stunning flats.
They vary in price between around £400k and £800k – with the total value of all 650 flats in the region of a half a billion.
While no longer the home of the Gunners, Highbury Square retains plenty of nods to its famous past.
The East and West Stands exteriors still proudly remain, looming over the site while still adorned by Arsenal’s crest and colours.
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A bust of former Gunners manager Herbert Chapman remains in the same marble corridors, while the players’ tunnel is also intact.
The pitch is long gone, but has been replaced by gardens – a perfect place for any Gooner resident to sit and reminisce on times gone by.
Arsene Wenger returned to the site while still Arsenal boss in 2009, officially opening the flats for business.
Residents are treated to plush, comfortable apartments – as well as underground parking, 24-hour security and an on-site gym.
Many of the flats also possess sprawling balconies facing inward… looking out on to where the Highbury pitch used to be.
They are also largely open plan, providing modern designs and a spacious feel.
Back in 2020, Wenger admitted to beIN Sports that Arsenal “left their soul” at Highbury.
He said: “You are always in a position when you are a football club to move forward or stay in the past.
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“To compete with the other clubs, we had to build a new stadium. The rules had changed.
“We wanted to create the same as Highbury but we left our soul at Highbury. We could never recreate exactly. We didn’t find exactly the same atmosphere.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
