It has recently been discovered that Craven Cottage was once a brothel run by one of Fulham’s most notorious madams.
Local historian and devout Fulham F.C. fan, Andy Arthole, made the discovery whilst wondering why Fulham F.C. has a cottage as part of its stadium – Craven Cottage – Wikipedia .
Craven Cottage gets its name from a historic cottage built in 1780 by William Craven (6th Baron Craven) on the site, which was once part of Anne Boleyn’s hunting grounds.
The mansion burned down in 1888, and the football stadium was built on land that carried its seedy past.
Wes Craven declined an invitation to the ground
They kept the name Craven Cottage and, in 1985, invited Wes Craven to watch a game of his choice following the success of his 1986 film, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Wes Craven later declined the invite and said that he would rather go to the City Ground, Nottingham, as he found its location and the team that played there, far more favourable.
“At first I thought it was ridiculous to have a house as part of a football stadium,” said Arthole, 54, “but when I discovered that Craven Cottage was once a brothel with many prostitutes, I became very enthused by its existence.
No doubt that Craven Cottage was once a brothel
Filtering through old photographs of Craven Cottage from the late 19th century, Arthole discovered a picture of a soldier having his glass topped up by a topless woman. With his other hand, he tries to pull her closer as they exchange sultry glances.
“From that moment on, there was no doubt in my mind that Craven Cottage was once a brothel,” said Arthole.”
“I immediately looked into the history of the cottage and unearthed some seedy accounts of the stadium’s past.”
Within his discoveries, it emerged that Craven Cottage was infamous for being a “reputable” brothel run by Nora Noyce, Fulham’s most famous whore.
“She was running the show from 1885 until 1888 – when it burned down – and then she continued to supply her services to Fulham F.C. fans until 1902,” concluded the historian.
During its peak, the football league’s accountant, Deloitte – https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/services/audit-assurance/services/accounting-advisory.html – concluded that Nora was making the equivalent of £4,000.00 a week, over a 17-year period.
Nottingham Forest face Fulham F.C. on Monday night, at the former brothel, and it’s tipped to be a very hot, energetic encounter, with both teams sharing similar qualities and form.
