Withern Cottage is a component building of the Church Farm Museum, which was the subject of a Conservation Management Plan, written in 2008. The plan detailed the history of the buildings and the threats to their preservation. Church Farm was originally the centre of a small farmstead, founded in the early 18th century. The farmstead was gradually surrounded by new development during the second half of the 20th century, and much of the original rural character of the site was lost. The remainder of the farmstead was bought by East Lindsey District Council in 1973, when a decision was made to restore the surviving farm buildings and convert the site into a museum of Lincolnshire farm life. This museum opened in 1976, and the site has been used since 1981 to relocate various agricultural buildings from across Lincolnshire, giving the appearance of a far more complex agricultural site than it ever previously had. Withern Cottage was moved to the Church Farm Museum site from the village of Withern in 1981. It is a modest cottage of 'mud and stud' construction, with a thatched roof. It has a 'lobby entry' plan of typical 17th century date, though is thought to have been built c.1790. {1}