The Eel Sett

Summary

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

Reasons for Designation

The Eel Sett is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for the degree of survival of the floor plan which remains largely unaltered, and the high proportion of surviving original fabric and fixtures.

Historic interest:

* for its rarity as one of the only surviving examples of an eel sett in England;
* it is a significant survivor, both as a building in its own right, and for the part it plays in illustrating the working history of the Norfolk Broads.
* it is an important example of a highly distinctive building type that is particular to the Broads

History

The Broads are a network of rivers (Ant, Thurne, Bure, Yare, Waveney), smaller tributaries and lakes which cover the eastern part of Norfolk and Suffolk. The lakes were created by peat digging which took place mainly in the C12-C14. In 1888, the Broads were conserved by an Act of Parliament.

The tradition of eel catching in the Broads dates back to the medieval period. An eel sett was a place both for eel catchers to put out nets at night and a room for their accommodation. These setts were typically in isolated and rural places along the river. Nets were stretched across the river and held in place by a stake on either side of the bank. The nets were tarred to make them stiff and they had a heavy chain to keep them at the bottom of the river. During the day the nets were left on the riverbed but raised at night to catch the eel which are funnelled down the nets and eventually trapped in the ‘poke’. Catchers therefore would have to keep watch for boats so that the nets could be lowered, using a winch, to allow safe passage. There were many setts along the rivers in Norfolk but numbers dramatically started to dwindle in the C20.

The Eel Sett at Candle Dyke, a remote location in the parish of Potter Heigham, is claimed to be the last in England. Its architectural style and evidence from mapping and photography dates it to the early C20. It was in commercial use until it was purchased by a trust in 1992 which maintains the building and leases out the fishing rights. It is still (2024) used for eel-catching demonstrations, making use of a working winch at the north-west end of the jetty and a sign that illuminates to the north elevation of the building.

Details

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.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Wilson, B, The Buildings of England- Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East, (1997)
Dutt, William A, The Norfolk Broads , (1903)
Malster, Robert, The Broads, (1993)
Patterson, Arthur Henry, Through Broadland by Sail and Motor , (1930)
Sinclair, Olga, Potter Heigham: The Heart of Broadland, (1989), 14-15

Other
Kayleigh Wood, Historic Waterside Chalets of the Broads: ‘The Significance of the Waterside Chalets and the Contribution They Make to The Broads is not Fully Understood’ (MSC Dissertation, School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading), 2015

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