THE Alresford Eel House is celebrating the 10th anniversary this year of the re-opening of the refurbished structure to the public.

Since then a total of 7,950 people have visited the Eel House, which opened for the 2018 season on Easter Sunday (April 1), opening again on Sunday, May 20, with two remaining sessions - one on August Bank Holiday Monday (August 27) and the final one on Sunday, September 16.

Led by David Woods according to a New Alresford Town Trust (NATT) spokesman: “The restoration of the Eel House has been a very enjoyable but difficult project.”

Built in the 1820s and located beside the Wayfarers’ Way footpath on the River Arle, the Eel House has become a landmark building.

The River Arle, running through Alresford, is where eels set out on their thousand-mile journey to spawn in the warm waters of the Sargasso Sea, between the Bahamas and Bermuda, and in 1820 the Harris family of Arlebury Park built a beautifully constructed small building to straddle the waters of the river so they could catch mature eels making their way to the sea.

Described as a “masterpiece of 19thy century ingenuity” this modest, but nicely proportioned building with clay-tiled roof was closed in 2006 when, during work to remove the ivy that had completely engulfed the structure, it became apparent that the southwest corner was collapsing.

The back scouring of the river current, coupled with the energetic roots of a nearby ash tree, had completely undermined part of the building and was making rapid inroads into the rest of the foundations.

There was a danger it would crumble into the River Arle as all that was holding it up were strands of ivy.

The Eel House is situated at a flow control point, if it had collapsed, the upstream water levels would have dropped catastrophically ruining the tranquillity of the river walks around Alresford and the wildlife habitat of Old Alresford Pond.

The owner moved swiftly to have the building propped up and consultations between all interested parties then followed. These were somewhat complicated as the building is owned by one party, another owns the surrounding land and a third the river fishing rights.

Also involved were the Environment Agency and Natural England as protectors of the delicate and sensitive environment of the River Arle and its surrounds.

The Restored Eel House Members of The Alresford Society were determined that the building should be saved if at all possible and two individuals underwrote the majority of the £15,000 that was needed for the initial and urgent funding of the restoration.

With much goodwill from all parties involved, the eventual outcome was that the New Alresford Town Trust was granted a 99-year lease on the building at a peppercorn rent.

This enabled a search for charitable grants and tax efficient donations for the project and it also ensured the future of The Eel House.

Once restored, the Eel House was re-opened to the public at Easter 2009 and attracted a large number of visitors until it fell victim once again to temporary closure in 2014 when high water levels made access dangerous.

Work was undertaken to instal a mesh floor, which has made it easier to see the sluices and the original design of the house.

This year, visitors are also able to see the newly erected donors board containing the names of those who have supported the restoration project, and highlighting, in particular, the efforts of the late David Goodman.