Fen Cottage granted Grade II listed status

A cottage located at a national nature reserve has been granted Grade II listed status.

Fen Cottage at Wicken Fen, in Cambridgeshire, was built in roughly 1700 and is one of the last surviving homes of the ancient fen dwellers.

Located on the outskirts of Wicken village near Soham, it is part of the National Trust's Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve.

Historic England recommended the cottage for listed status and its East of England regional director, Tony Calladine, said it was "a rare record of how people once depended on their natural surroundings".

The building was made from locally gathered clay and peat, with sedge grass for its thatched roof.

"The fen fed, housed, and employed the people around it and Fen Cottage stands as evidence of that vital relationship between the people and the land," Calladine added.

The cottage was home to the Butcher family in the mid-19th Century, with four generations living in the home.

It has been in the care of the National Trust since 1974, and was restored between 1988 and 1990.

Emma Ormond-Bones, National Trust general manager for north Cambridgeshire, said the team was "delighted".

"[It] recognises the importance of Fen Cottage, not only as part of Cambridgeshire's built heritage, but also for its cultural importance as a symbol of the deep, historic relationship between people and nature at Wicken Fen, reflecting the livelihoods and communities that once depended upon this wonderful wetland landscape."

She continued: "We welcome Historic England's protection of this wonderful place for the benefit of future generations."

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