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Query about Fulham FC grounds timeline (pre-Craven Cottage)

Started by 100GroundsProject, November 25, 2017, 11:15:47 AM

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100GroundsProject

First time poster, so apologies if this is in the wrong section.

I'm researching the early years of Fulham for a book I'm writing on Britain's favourite football grounds.

I read The Foundation History of Fulham booklet with huge interest. Thank you for sharing it on here. However, the ground chronology does seems to be a little at odds with the history timeline on Fulham FC's website and newspaper reports of the time. I've extracted the respective dates below (assuming I have interpreted the texts correctly).

Do club historians and supporters have a view on which is the 'official' or more accurate version of events, or is this still up for debate? Can anyone fill in some of the gaps or comment on the discrepancies? Any help with this one is much appreciated.


Fulham FC Website Timeline (partially referenced from Alex White's book, Fulham FC the early years 1879-1907)

•   Star Road (1879 – 1883/84/85)   
•   Eelbrook Common (1883 – 84) (There appears to be some overlap here?)
•   Lillie Road (1884/85 – 86)
•   Putney Lower Common (1884/85 – 86)
•   Ranelagh House (Eight Bells) ( 1886 – 88) (oddly, two different pages on the Fulham website give two different move in dates, 1885 and 1886)
•   Barn Elms (1888 – 89)
•   Purser's Cross, Parsons Green (1889 – 1891) (Tree growing on pitch)
•   Eelbrook Common (1891)
•   Half Moon Pub Ground (1891 – 1895)
•   Captain James Field near Halford Road (1895-96)
•   Craven Cottage (1896 – Present)

'The Foundation History of Fulham' Timeline: (Written early 20th Century)

•   Star Road (1879 - ?)
•   Ranelagh House (Eight Bells) (Dates not given)
•   Eelbrook Common (Dates not given)
•   Putney Lower Common (Dates not given)
•   Roskell's Field (aka Purser's Cross?) (Dates not given)  (Tree Growing on Pitch)
•   Barn Elms (Dates not given)
•   Half Moon Pub Ground (1889/90 (?)  – ?)
•   Craven Cottage (1896 – Present)

Notes:

1.   West London Observer article from October 1890 has Fulham at Purcer's Cross (sic) and states they may lose their ground. This ties in with the first version of events.

2.   The foundation booklet states Fulham didn't rent Captain James Field near Halford Road and the claim is "entirely erroneous." However, an article in the West London Observer, December 7, 1895, says "Fulham meet the Queens Park Rangers on Captain James' field at West Brompton in the Middlesex Senior Cup." So something doesn't quite add up.


bill taylors apprentice

#1
In the book Football grounds of London by Alex White and Bob Lilliman it states clearly that The club was playing at Eel Brook Common by the 83/84 season. The following season they moved to Lillie road, this was the sight of the present Queens Club not the same Lillie Bridge used for early FA Cup Finals.

Putney Lower Common 85/86 and moved to Barn Elms in the summer of 88.
Moved again to Purser's Cross (Roskalls field) close to Parsons Green station for 89/90.
Back to Eel Brook common in Feb 91 due to many postponements at Purser's Cross.

Half Moon 91/92
Bought Craven Cottage in 94 in the meantime lost Half Moon so used rivals Stanley FC's ground Captain James Field for 95/96  situated in Walham Green.

CC opened 96.

The above confirmed in Simon Inglis book, Football Grounds of Britain.

BedsFFC

So, in those early years, were games just played on pitches without stands

What were crowd numbers on those days?

Its fascinating


Jamie88

Quote from: BedsFFC on November 25, 2017, 12:32:50 PM
So, in those early years, were games just played on pitches without stands

What were crowd numbers on those days?

Its fascinating

From what I've read we still managed to get numbers in the low thousands at big matches in the years before we acquired Craven Cottage

Woolly Mammoth

#4
It is very interesting and fascinating, when we were at the half moon, which I assume is the one in Lower Richmond Road, where were our home matches played ?
Or were we still a EEL Brook Common.
Its not the man in the fight, it's the fight in the man.  🐘

Never forget your Roots.

100GroundsProject

Thanks for the replies so far.

For anyone who hasn't read it, Simon Inglis' Engineering Archie contains a detailed history of the Craven Cottage Leitch stand and adjoining pavilion.


100GroundsProject

Quote from: BedsFFC on November 25, 2017, 12:32:50 PM
So, in those early years, were games just played on pitches without stands

Its fascinating

Pretty much. Many early games didn't even have proper crossbars or onsite changing facilities. And in the case of Purser's Cross, there was a tree growing in the corner of the pitch.