It is likely (although we do not know) that Bridge Cottage was a tied cottage and its occupants probably worked for the Constables in the mill and on the land. Family members might have made a small income from collecting tolls from the lighters passing through Flatford Lock and providing food and drink for the men on the passing barges along the River Stour between Sudbury and Mistley Wharf. The families living in Bridge Cottage cooked their own meals on a large central fireplace which can still be seen inside Bridge Cottage today.
During John Constable’s boyhood, the family living in Bridge Cottage were tenants of the Constable family. Bridge Cottage is not a significant feature in John Constable’s paintings but the building can be seen in in a couple of his famous paintings – see below.