The Den (defunct stadium)
| The Den | |
 |
|
| Location |
New Cross London, SE14 England |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 4,536 (seated only); 47,000 (including standing) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1909 |
| Opened | 22 October 1910 |
| Demolished | 1993 |
| Architect | Archibald Leitch |
| Tenants | |
| Millwall F.C. (1910-1993) | |
The Old Den (known while in use as the Den) was the fifth football stadium occupied by Millwall F.C. in Cold Blow Lane, New Cross, London since their formation in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs in 1885 before moving to the New Den (now called the Den), in May 1993. The ground opened in 1910 and was the home of Millwall for 83 years. It boasted a record attendance of 48,672 (v Derby County in 1937). The Den was adjacent to New Cross Stadium, a large athletics stadium which later hosted Greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway as well as being used by Millwall for training, as Millwall were lacking a training pitch of their own at the time.
Millwall moved to the Den from North Greenwich in 1910, the location of their fourth and final grounds on the Isle Of Dogs in the 25 years since their formation as a football club. Tom Thorne, the director in charge, had sought the help of architect Archibald Leitch and builders Humphries of Knightsbridge. The estimated cost of the Den was £10,000. The first match was on Saturday 22 October 1910 against Brighton & Hove Albion, the Southern League Champions who spoiled the celebrations by winning 1-0. The price of the official Match Programme was one penny. Unfortunately, the opening ceremony also suffered a slight hitch when it was discovered that Lord Kinnaird had inadvertently gone to the Canterbury (Ilderton) Road end. He had to be unceremoniously hauled, pushed, and pulled over the wall into the ground. After rushing to the other end (Cold Blow Lane) the President of the FA performed a brief opening ritual and led the players onto the pitch. Before kick off, a brass lion inscribed (in Gaelic) "We Will Never Turn Our Backs to the Enemy", was presented to the club. Many supporters from the East End of London continued to (and many still do) follow the Lions after their move south of the River Thames, walking through the Greenwich foot tunnel and the Rotherhithe Tunnel to join the supporters form nearer the Den, mainly in the Surrey Docks area.
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