East Fen in 1625 was inhabited by 11 cottages, by 1656 there were two lines of up to 10 cottages on parallel narrow strips that stretched into East Fen, and stood East of Brook Street Closes. In 1840 there were 40 dwellings half of them being recently built on its Northern edge, and in 1975 there were still 50+  houses here.
In World War II the common was thrown open for grazing to all, irrespective of common rights, to help the War effort to obtain higher food production by the War Agricultural Executive Committee, and returned to its previous use after the war. Illegal encroachments on the commons, have always been a problem, and should be reported to our Town Council at The Pavilion, or we could loose them.