Site of early 19th century house, 'Decoy House', Old Hall Marshes (EHER 82247)

Now destroyed. The site of a decoy house on Old Hall Marshes, known to be standing in 1949, but since destroyed.

NRHE data transfer: September 1999. Field survey. The Old Decoy house (site of) on Old Hall Marshes. No trace of it was found during survey by English Heritage (Cambridge Office) on Old Hall Marshes in September 1999. Originally it would have provided accommodation and storage for a decoyman working on the decoy pond in the marshes. <1> <2> <3> An Estate map of 1827 locates this structure and refers to it as the Decoy House in House Marsh, which consisted of a house and stable. <4> The structure is also represented on the 1840 tithe appointment in Cottage Marsh, tenanted to John Wright esq, and on the first to third edition OS maps. <5> - <8> It was still standing in 1949 and photographed for the front cover of an auction catalogue of the Guisnes Court Estate. The photograph shows a brick built house with a single chimney, and an entrance with adjacent window in one elevation. It appears to have two stories the upper floor in the roof space and without windows. A single-storey weatherboarded lean-to stood against one end and the whole building was contained by a post and wire fence. The auction catalogue records that the Old Decoy House can be used to provide overnight sleeping accommodation for shooting parties. <9>