The Fowl House, Formerly Associated With Bowden Green

The Fowl House, built in 1897 in an Arts and Crafts style by Arnold Mitchell, originally served Bowden Green. It is a small, octagonal red brick structure located in the garden of 'Leeward'. The brick plinth is bonded with white mortar, rising to continuous fenestration punctuated by two opposing doorways. The fixed timber windows have twelve panes of leaded glass and continuous timber sills. Simple plank doors with decorative iron hinges are located to the north and south. The roof is tiled, with boarded eaves, and features a central, decorated octagonal turret with a lead roof designed to allow pigeon or dove access. The turret has turned corner pilasters, a moulded cornice, and an elegant lead roof. The interior is a single space with a concrete floor, which is not original. A wooden bench sits against the east wall of the north door. The suspended ceiling and walls up to window level are boarded, with a square central hatch providing access to the roof space. Originally, exterior brick nest/shelter boxes with tile roofs were present at ground level, along with secondary honeycomb glazing behind the leaded lights, though these features are now absent. The arched pigeon/dove openings in the turret pilasters have been blocked. The building is significant as a relatively intact, elegant, and high-quality garden structure from the late 19th century, reflecting the infrastructure needed to supply large country houses. It has group value with the nearby contemporary buildings and with the Junior School, Pangbourne College, which it served. A photograph in the 'Studio' magazine from 1898 shows the fowl house in its original condition, with the exception of the removed nest boxes and honeycomb glazing.