The Eel Sett

A simple single-cell building used as overnight accommodation for eel catchers which dates to around the early C20.

MATERIALS: the building is constructed of a timber frame with vertical shiplap boarding and is covered with a metal roof.

EXTERIOR: the building is single storey with one room. It faces north towards Candle Dyke which feeds into the River Thurne. It is a simple structure with vertical shiplap boarding with a tarred finish and a profiled red metal roof. There are bargeboards and pinnacles to both gables with a projecting ‘Stop Eel Net’ sign to the north gable. The door is shiplap boarding with a rope handle. The east, south and west elevations each have a window which are all square wooden frames with a single light.

INTERIOR: throughout the interior there is a high degree of surviving original fabric. This includes joinery details around door and window frames, a stable-style ledge and brace door with two locks. Each window has three metal bars horizontally across it. Two wooden bunks are fixed to the eastern and western walls facing each other, and a stove is against the south wall between them. Beneath the bunks are cupboards with a simple handle and turn-button latch, which allows the door to be removed for access into the space underneath the seats. To the north-west corner is a fixed cupboard which also has a simple handle and turn-button latch. There is a freestanding sink positioned in the north-east corner. Across the north gable at eaves level is a shelf for storage. The walls and ceiling are framed with simple battens.