Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Aston Hall
Picture of Aston Hall by Edward Moss Photography (www.edwardmoss.co.uk)

What to see
You’ll find accounts of Birmingham’s tourist attractions in Towns of Two Halves (and of 91 other places: order the book now for £8 from info@townsof2halves.co.uk). Aston Hall is worth a look locally; see the Birmingham page for the city as a whole. For additional information plus shopping, eating out etc there’s Visit Birmingham

Towns of Two Halves extracts:
“This is one of a handful of football matches I cycled to. Large stretches of my journey were accomplished by car and train. The cycling probably accounted for no more than 18 miles. Still, it was a satisfying link with previous generations. My father, as a boy in north Manchester, often cycled to football matches (perhaps wearing clogs).”
“From Crewe I took a train to Birmingham New Street and rode north along one of the city’s many fine dual carriageways to Villa Park. I found a park, though no villa, and shackled the bicycle to some railings to join the throng heading for the football ground.”
“Oldham were more comfortable as the match wore on. Their supporters, by contrast, began to look pale and drawn. As they filed back to their cars, coaches and bicycle in the bright sunshine of a warm May afternoon many of their faces had a greenish tinge. Hope was reborn and with it, dread.”
These are taken from the Aston Villa chapter of Towns of Two Halves, published in 2018. To buy a copy, email info@townsof2halves.co.uk.