History and description

Craven Cottage has a history dating back to 1780 when a cottage was built in the woods and the surrounding fields were used for various sports. The site later fell into disuse and the original cottage burned down in 1888. Fulham had previously played at various venues before spotting the ground near the River Thames suitable for their needs. After clearing an overgrown field, they played their first match at Craven Cottage in 1896. The stand at that time consisted of only a basic wooden structure.

A first proper stand was built in 1906, which is currently called the Johnny Haynes Stand. The stand was designed by Archibald Leitch and had a characteristic red-brick facade. The stand was accompanied by a pavilion, which is the present-day Cottage.

Craven Cottage was expanded with terraces in the next decade, reaching its record attendance in 1938 when a total of 49,335 spectators attended a game against Millwall. Ten years later, Craven Cottage hosted a few games during the 1948 Olympic Games.

In the following years, Craven Cottage continued to be improved, culminating in the construction of the Riverside Stand in 1972. Fulham played most of the 1980s and 1990s in lower leagues and so few further changes were made to Craven Cottage.

The Fulham Football Club's elevation to the Premier League in 2001 resulted in their stadium not meeting Premier League standards. As a result, the team temporarily relocated to Loftus Road for one season, after which they expected to move back into a brand-new stadium.

However, because of opposition to the reconstruction plans and spiralling costs, the plans were abandoned and instead refurbishment work was chosen on Craven Cottage. The refurbishment project was completed in the summer of 2004.

However, in January 2017, Fulham announced that they had reached an agreement to sell Craven Cottage to QPR for a reported £12 million. Craven Cottage remained one of the smallest grounds in the Premier League, and Fulham therefore considered either moving to a new stadium or further redeveloping Craven Cottage. However, in January 2017, Fulham announced that they had reached an agreement to sell Craven Cottage to QPR for a reported £12 million.

The club decided to stay at Craven Cottage and began developing plans to build a new Riverside Stand, which would increase capacity to 30,000 seats. While this was approved in 2013, the stand has not yet started construction.

(photos of the present Craven Cottage below)

How to get to Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is located in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough in London, about 5 miles from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It sits on top of the banks of the river Thames and is bordered by Bishops Park. Alternatively, there is a bus stop outside the stadium.

There is an alternative to Wembley Stadium: Hammersmith station, which is served by trains on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Piccadilly lines. It's a 20-minute walk from there to the stadium.

It is not advised to arrive by car on matchdays at Craven Cottage, as the property is difficult to reach by car.

Address: Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH

Eat, drink, and sleep near Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is located in the quiet and relatively well off Fulham area. The immediate area around the stadium is mainly residential, with a few pubs and places to get something to eat nearby Putney Bridge tube station and Fulham High Street. Right by Putney Bridge is the Premier Inn Putney Bridge hotel, which has good reviews and is not unreasonably priced for London. The walk to the stadium through Bishop's Park takes no more than 10 minutes.

The Holiday Inn Express Earls Court and Ibis Earls Court near West Brompton tube station are likely within walking distance (30 minutes) of the stadium.

Click here for an overview of all hotels near Craven Cottage.

Fulham Tickets

You can buy Fulham tickets online, by phone +44 (0) 843 208 1234, or in person at the ticket office at the stadium. If tickets remain available, then these tickets can also be bought at the ticket office on the day of the match. Fulham rarely sell out in the Championship.

Fulham have created two pricing categories for their home matches. The cheapest tickets, in Category B, range in price from £20.00 for a seat behind the goal to £35.00 for the central parts of the long sides. The most expensive tickets, in Category A, cost between £25.00 and £40.00.

Craven Cottage stadium tours

The Fulham Football Club offers guided stadium tours that include the changing rooms, trophy lounge, dugouts, Cottage balcony, and the Johnny Haynes statue. Tours at Craven Cottage usually happen on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11:15 am. You can check the Craven Cottage website for the exact dates and hours.

Online bookings are welcome, but walk-ups are limited and it is recommended to reserve in advance.

The tours costs £15.00. For more information email [email protected]

Relevant Internet links

The Fulham FC website, London city guide website, and public transport website are all official websites of Fulham FC. The London Underground website is one of many London public transport websites, and Journeyplanner.org is a site that can help you plan your journey around London. The views from the Riverside Stand are great if you can avoid the restricted view seats, and during half-time you can pop out again and have a look over the Thames.If you wish to get something to eat or drink during half-time, it may make sense to walk towards the Hammersmith End where queues seemed significantly shorter.The atmosphere was relatively subdued with neither the home nor away fans particularly boisterous, but it did start to pick up towards the end as the match got better.After the match we decided to walk to Hammersmith tube station to avoid any possible further delays. While we did not know the exact way, there were a significant number of other fans taking the same option that we could follow.Overall, Craven Cottage is one of the English stadiums with a lot of character, and is definitely worth a visit if you are in London!

Match visited: Fulham FC vs Blackpool FC Date visited: 5 January 2013

We took advantage of the discounted admission prices for an FA Cup match to get to see Craven Cottage.

We arrived with the District Line and got off at Putney Bridge Station. There was a tube delay, which meant we only arrived a few minutes before the match at the ground, but we were among a good crowd to make our way through Bishop's Park. It takes about 15 minutes to get from the tube to the ground.

We had bought our ticket online before and they were printed out, which meant that we got into the ground quickly and were seated before the start of the match.

We obtained some central seats at the Riverside Stand for the same price as tickets for all other stands. This was great.

You walk through a tunnel beneath the Putney End stand and then end up right along the river Thames.

If you wish to get something to eat or drink during half-time, it would make sense to walk towards the Hammersmith End where queues seemed significantly shorter.

The atmosphere at the game was subdued with neither the home nor away fans particularly boisterous. Initially, the game was still rather promising but it quickly petered out as a result of the quality of football on display.

After the match, we decided to walk to Hammersmith tube station in order to avoid any further delays. While we did not know the exact way, there were a significant number of other fans taking the same option that we could follow.

Overall, Craven Cottage is a characterful English stadium that is definitely worth a visit if you are in London.

Hats off to Fulham for setting an example - their fans are trusted to act responsibly, and from what I've seen they respond positively. I've sat there several times and never seen any trouble. The only complaint is the high prices and below average food inside the ground, as well as the ridiculously expensive tickets for Category A games (ie Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and any other London Premier League team - ie QPR currently and West Ham last season). It's a great place to watch football - the antidote to so many soulless concrete stadiums that now populate so much of the UK.

Home to the dressing rooms, located on the second floor with a quirky balcony - good for spotting visiting managers doing their scouting and non-playing players. The final stand is the Riverside stand which backs right onto the River Thames.

Craven Cottage has an atmosphere that is unique for evening games. The place is very friendly towards fans, staff, and even officers who conduct searches.

Thank you to Fulham for engaging in sensible behavior - I have seen that they respond positively to the opportunity. My only complaint is the overpriced and average food inside the ground, and the exorbitant tickets for Category A games (i.e. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and any other London Premier League team - i.e. QPR currently and West Ham last season).

landscape. It is a great place to watch football, an antidote to so many concrete, soul-less pre-fab stadiums that now grace much of the UK landscape.

The Growler wrote: January 19, 2012 at 3:49pm The last ground I ever stood at, and it was a pleasure, the terrace didn't seem level? The stands behind the goals were old and tatty but that what made my visit great. It still had its history, pretty sure it still had wooden seats as well? The cottage is unique and to me very strange to see at a football ground, but this what makes grounds special, love the old school stand I stood in with its brick work on the outside, no new metal plastic stuff they use now.

The last ground I ever stood at was a pleasure. The terrace didn't seem level; the stands behind the goals were old and tatty, but that what made my visit great. It still had its history, pretty sure it still had wooden seats as well? The cottage is unique and to me very strange to see at a football ground, but this what makes grounds special, love the old school stand I stood in with its brick work on the outside, no new metal plastic stuff they use now.