The Old Rectory (EHER 34988)

A late 17th/early 18th century house, possibly built in 1846 as suggested by a brick with the graffiti 'SP 1846'. It is built from guilt brick with a hipped grey slate roof, and is two storeys. It was built with a brick water cistern fed by a downpipe to collect rainwater when Foulness Island had no fresh water supply.

January 1988. Grade II listed. A late 17th/early 18th century house, possibly built in 1846 as suggested by a brick with the graffiti 'SP 1846'. It is built from guilt brick with a hipped grey slate roof, and is two storeys. Until the 20th century the Island had no fresh water supply and the water cistern supplied from the roof, is to the rear of the building. Interior features include: servants stairs from kitchen; small cellar; shutters to some windows and panels below others, now with cills but probably for vertical shutters; shutters to glazed front door; black marble fire surround; stop chamfered bridging joist in old kitchen; fireplace with iron range 'The Larbert' Renfrew, Scotland. To the side of the range is a bread oven with a water cistern under. <1> July 2006. Heritage assessment. The survey recorded a brick cistern, used to supply the kitchen, along the northern side of the rectory. Water supply on Foulness had, since the medieval period, been a major problem. The first successful wells were sunk during the mid-later 19th century, previously rainwater had been collected in whatever or wherever possible. For this purpose a brick cistern was constructed at rectory farm to collect rainwater from the roof via a downpipe. Whitehouse Farm and Ridge Marsh Farm also had brick cisterns. It appears that brick cisterns start to appear on Foulness during the late 17th-early 18th century and this one most likely dates to around 1700-1710. The cistern was aligned east-west; the east end was exposed and had been damaged and the west end was located within a shed. Access for repairs and cleaning would have been via the west end. <2> See also <3>.