The Beautiful History
Football club badges tell the story of Britain
The Beautiful History charts the fascinating story of Britain through football club badges.
From non-league minnows to Premier League giants, it features over 100 clubs, with each badge coming alive to reveal the story behind it, whilst also giving events in history an exciting and engaging twist, as it takes you on a footballing journey from the dinosaurs to the digital age.
What does Colchester United’s eagle tell us about Roman Britain? Why do the badges of three football clubs feature the Mayflower, the ship on which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World? Why does the Norwich City canary celebrate 16th-century refugees, and which team honours the Battle of Britain and why?
The Beautiful History is brought to you by the team that created the award-winning ‘The Beautiful Badge’, and sets out with the goal of using the love of football to engage, and educate about the wider world (you could call it education by stealth).
#TheBeautifulHistory
“A GREAT idea, wonderfully executed”
The Irish Times
“The Beautiful History does a brilliant job of illustrating the history behind some of our most beloved football club badges. Football is a great tool to engage young people in history and the stories featured are entertaining, illuminating and often surprising”.
Christian Allen
Community & Public Programme Manager, National Football Museum
“A really lovely book, beautifully illustrated.”
Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio
“Our children loved the copy of 'The Beautiful History' that we had and, with Martyn's kind donation of more copies, it is currently the reading book of choice for those who love football and history alike”.
Chloe Clifford, Deputy Headteacher, Broxbourne CE Primary School
