Craven Cottage
| The Cottage Fortress Fulham |
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Craven Cottage in 2007
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| Location |
Fulham London, SW6 England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°28′30″N 0°13′18″W / 51.47500°N 0.22167°WCoordinates: 51°28′30″N 0°13′18″W / 51.47500°N 0.22167°W |
| Public transit |
 Putney Bridge
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| Owner | Fulham F.C. |
| Operator | Fulham F.C. |
| Capacity | 25,700 (increasing to 30,000) |
| Surface | Grass (Fibrelastic) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1896 (as a stadium) |
| Architect | Archibald Leitch |
| Tenants | |
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Fulham F.C. (1896–2002, 2004–present) Fulham L.F.C. (2000–2003) Fulham Rugby League Club (1980–1984) |
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Craven Cottage is a football stadium located in Fulham, London. It has been the home ground of Fulham F.C. since 1896. The ground's current capacity is 25,700, all-seated, though the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against Millwall Athletic, 8 October 1938. Located next to Bishop's Park on the banks of the River Thames, 'Craven Cottage' was originally a royal hunting lodge and has history dating back over 300 years.
As well as by Fulham, the stadium has been also been used by the United States men's national football team,Australia national football team, the Republic of Ireland national football team, and Canada men's national football team, and was formerly the home ground for rugby league team Fulham RLFC.
The original 'Cottage' was built in 1780, by William Craven, the sixth Baron Craven and was located on the centre circle of the pitch. At the time, the surrounding areas were woods which made up part of Anne Boleyn's hunting grounds.
The Cottage was lived in by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (who wrote The Last Days of Pompeii) and other somewhat notable (and moneyed) persons until it was destroyed by fire in May 1888. Many rumours persist among Fulham fans of past tenants of Craven Cottage. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jeremy Bentham, Florence Nightingale and even Queen Victoria are reputed to have stayed there, although there is no real evidence for this. Following the fire, the site was abandoned. Fulham had had 8 previous grounds before settling in at Craven Cottage for good. Therefore, The Cottagers have had 12 grounds overall (including a temporary stay at Loftus Road), meaning that only their former 'landlords' and rivals QPR have had more home grounds (14) in British football. Of particular note, was Ranelagh House, Fulham's palatial home from 1886–1888.
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