| Birmingham Town Guide |
| If you want to venture out of Birmingham city centre, the pretty district of Aston is well worth a visit. Especially famous is the attractive Jacobean mansion known as Aston Hall, and of course this is the home of Aston Villa Football Club. |
| Aston |
| Aston is one of Birmingham's outer districts, located to the north of the city centre. The area was originally a country estate presided over by the Holte family, but today it is one of Birmingham's many residential suburbs. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant area to visit, offering welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of inner city Birmingham. The district of Aston is most famous for the mansion house Aston Hall, and of course for being home to Aston Villa Football Club. |
| Aston Hall and Park |
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| Aston Hall is located in the north Birmingham suburb of Aston, hence the name. The "Hall" is a Jacobean mansion built in 1618 by the Holte family and it is well worth a visit. It is one of the last truly Jacobean mansions to be built in England and so it is of great historical significance. In addition, during the Civil War, a few decades after the house was built, Aston Hall was the scene of a siege - damage caused by cannon fire can still be seen on the Great Stairs to this day. There are more than 20 rooms in the mansion, all richly decorated in period furniture and furnishings. Particularly worth a visit is the elegant Long Gallery. The grounds of the Hall are known as Aston Park, 43 acres of parkland. Originally Aston Park was a deer park covering a massive 329 acres, but it soon became transformed into an elegant pleasure garden. Today the park is still well kept and picturesque, and it contains a bandstand, bowling green and several fountains. The mansion and grounds are open daily from 2pm to 5pm between April and October. Admission is free. |
| Aston Villa Football Club |
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The other thing that the district of Aston is famous for is the fact that it is home to Birmingham's premier football (soccer) club, Aston Villa. |
| Regularly within the top 5 football clubs in the Premier Division, Aston Villa is one of the UK's top football clubs (of course a native brummie will always tell you it is THE top club!) Villa is also one of the oldest football clubs in the UK, and so the club naturally has a long and colourful history. The origins of Aston Villa aren't certain, but what is known is that the club was formed at some time in the early 1870s. Since then the fortunes of Villa have been mixed. They have won the FA Cup on numberous occasions, but at times have also suffered relegation to lower leagues. The last few years have seen an upsurge in the fortune of the club. Once more amongst the top clubs in the Premier Division today Aston Villa is one of the best clubs in English football. | |
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