Wildfowl Cottage

Wildfowl Cottage is a house that likely dates from the late 17th century, with an early 19th-century addition and some later alterations. It is constructed of whitewashed brick and timber-frame, topped with an old plain-tile roof featuring two colors in wide bands. The building has a large chimney on the rear slope to the right, another on the front slope to the left, and a tall chimney on the single-storey addition. The original layout probably consisted of a three-unit lobby-entry plan with a single-storey service addition to the west. The main part of the house is two storeys high.

On the first floor, there is a four-window range that includes three two-light casements and one single-light casement, with the two-light windows being horizontal sliding sashes. The ground floor features an entrance in a flat-roofed porch, flanked by casements on either side. There is a two-light 20th-century window on the left end and a small window above it. The addition to the right has a small-paned window and a horizontal sliding sash on the end wall, with a two-light casement above. The rear of the house has additional casements, including a horizontal sliding sash on the left.

Inside, the cottage has visible bridging beams, some of which are boxed. The large main chimney features back-to-back open fireplaces, one of which is visible. A reception room contains a full-height fitted corner cupboard, while the western service addition retains a range, a copper, and a bread oven.

Historically, in the 18th century, the house was part of the lands owned by the Wollard family, which included nearby Biggin Abbey, and it was likely associated with river traffic. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it operated as a public house known as the Pike and Eel, serving barge traffic due to its proximity to Bates Bite Lock.

Wildfowl Cottage retains many features from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including interior fittings and service features, as well as its unusual surviving windows and the substantial chimney.