
Arsenal — Highbury Stadium Handcrafted Model, circa 1986
- Period
- 20th Century
- Origin
- English
- Condition
- Good
- Dimensions
- Base: 45cm x 38cm
About this Piece
This remarkable handcrafted model of Arsenal's Highbury stadium represents a genuinely unique piece of English football history. Made circa 1986 by John Le Maitre using traditional modelling techniques — cork, hardboard, and felt — it was one of 93 models depicting every English Football League ground, all of which were featured on Blue Peter on 8th May 1986. That broadcast now serves as an irreplaceable visual record of a sporting landscape that has since been transformed beyond recognition: of the 93 grounds modelled, 38 no longer exist.
Highbury — Arsenal's celebrated home from 1913 to 2006 — was one of the most architecturally distinguished football grounds in England, its Art Deco East and West Stands listed buildings of considerable merit. The ground was demolished following the club's move to the Emirates Stadium, making any authentic record of it a piece of genuine cultural and sporting significance.
The base measures approximately 45 by 38 centimetres and the model is in good condition. A piece quite unlike anything else on the market: simultaneously folk art, sporting memorabilia, architectural record, and television history.