| ...when those two words are heard by a Fulham fan , thoughts of our beautiful stadium, the walks through Bishops Park, the Thames River, and some of those amazing plays made by our favorite Fulham players come in to our mind. Some describe the Cottage as our spritual home, and who is to argue, it has been home to Fulham Football Club since 1894. I for one had an experience of a lifetime my first trip to the stadium and there is nothing else like it, the fans, the asthetics, the noise and of course the pubs. |
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Craven Cottage is the name of a stadium in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham that has been the home ground of FA Premier League football team Fulham F.C. since 1896 . The original cottage was built by Baron Craven in 1780 , and at the time was situated in forest. It burnt down in 1888 and until Fulham's arrival had lain to waste.
Fulham's first match at Craven Cottage was played against Minerva in the Middlesex Senior Cup, and shortly afterwards a so-called 'Orange Box Stand' was built, making the original attendance of the stadium 1,000. It was redeveloped in 1905 following an attempt by the London County Council to close it on grounds of safety. It hosted an England vs. Wales international match in 1907 and a Rugby League international in 1911. Fulham became the first First Division club to erect floodlights in their ground in 1962. The most recently built stand is the Riverside Stand, officially named the Eric Miller stand, after a former director, which was constructed in 1972.
Craven Cottage's record attendance was 49,335 for a match against Millwall in October 1938.
After ground sharing with QPR for the last couple of seasons, Fulham have at long last returned to Craven Cottage, their home since 1894. Promotion to the Premier League in 2001 meant that Craven Cottage in order to comply with Premier League rules would have to become an all seated stadium. The Club were allowed one season's grace to do this, but with the Club unable to gain the necessary permissions (including a lot of objections from local residents) to totally re-develop Craven Cottage into a modern 30,000 all seated stadia, the Club took the decision to vacate the ground and look for a new site to build a stadium. The search for a suitable site has so far come to nothing and much to the delight of Fulham fans the Club decided to return to Craven Cottage and upgrade it to an all seated ground.
Both ends which were previously open terraces have now been replaced by two new large all seated, covered stands, that look fairly similar in design. They both though have some supporting pillars which is disappointing. The Hammersmith Road End has one large pillar towards the front and middle of the stand, whilst opposite the Putney Road End has a row of pillars running across the stand, about a third of the way down it. Attached to these stands in three corners of the ground are some three storey structures that are used to house corporate executive boxes.
On one side of the ground is the Stevenage Road Stand , that previously had terracing at the front, but this has now been made all seated. The stand was originally designed by Archibald Leitch (who designed a number of football grounds and stands in the early part of the 20th century) and was opened in 1905. Considering its age, it can be forgiven for having a number of supporting pillars and old wooden seating in its upper tier. It does though have a fine classic looking gable on its roof; labelled Fulham Football Club.
Opposite is the only stand not to see any major changes through this current burst of re-development. This stand which sits on the banks of the Thames is the aptly named Riverside Stand, all seated and covered. Opened in 1972, it is slightly raised above pitch level and has small sets of steps at the front of the stand, by which spectators can access it. It also has a row of executive boxes running across the back of it and also houses a television gantry . There are a couple of small windshields to either side, plus it has a couple of supporting pillars. Also saved from the re-development is the famous Craven Cottage , which overlooks the ground from one corner, between the Stevenage Road Stand and Putney End. It looks somewhat misplaced being more reminiscent of a small cricket pavilion, rather than something found at a football ground, but it does add to the overall character. An unusual feature is that the teams enter the field from one corner of the ground, by the Cottage and then make their way up onto the pitch as it is raised. A disappointment is having the fabulous old floodlights removed and replaced by a nondescript modern set.
If you are a Fulham Fan in the states, your mecca is Craven Cottage and its an experience that is well worth the trip.. I can only hope you are lucky enough to visit such a part of our history.
All the Best.
American Mike
I very huge thank you goes out to Ed, a.k.a. LBno11, for his contribution to this page. With out him I would be with out the fantastic pictures of the cottage. I thank him on behalf of FulhamUSA. |
