Whispers Cottage was subject to a building survey carried out in March 2009. The survey identified an original phase of construction of probable mid to late 18th century, comprising a brick-built structure, square in plan, with a single room on each of two floors. The building had raised gables on its northern and southern sides, and a steep pitched roof, which might, originally, have been covered with thatch. There were doors in the east and west walls of the ground floor room, with small windows set to the side, while at first floor level, small windows (destroyed by subsequent modification) were set into the gable ends. Also at first floor level, a timber wall plate extends around the room, resting upon thirteen courses of brick (as taken from floor level). Above this level were the exposed joists and roof. The structure might have originated as a labourer's cottage but, in terms of plan and size, it has much in common with a Dovecote of the period and might have been adapted at a later date, for use as a house. There is, however, no evidence the pigeon holes which were normally built into the walls of a Dovecote. On the eastern side of the house, there is a single storey, single room, brick-built extension, which is believed to be mid to late 19th century in date. The extension incorporates a fireplace, and it would appear that a fireplace in the east wall of original ground floor room was added at the same time. The latter contains identical brick to that used in a tall chimney stack located at the join between the roofs of the original building and extension. Further modifications during this period would seem to have included the addition of the extant wooden staircase to the first floor, and alterations to the roof, through the addition of secondary rafters and collars to achieve a steeper roof pitch. It is likely that the existing doors and windows originated as replacements installed in the 1920s or 30s, and the application of concrete/cement render (mostly removed at the time of the survey) may have taken place at the same time. There is a small extension (probably added in the late 20th century) on the northern side of the building, forming a porch into the rectangular extension. A high wall, with buttresses on its northern side (suggestive of a garden or boundary wall) extends east from the south-east corner of the extension. Identical buttresses located inside the extension suggest that the structure was built against the latter wall, while further to the east, there is evidence of return walls and a floor belonging to an outbuilding. {1}{2}