The cottage is known as the Nanny Water Cottage (or sometimes simply "The Nanny Cottage"), built in the 18th or early 19th century. It is one of the few remaining authentic thatched houses in this part of East Meath. It is a typical Irish "longhouse" with thick whitewashed stone or mud walls and a thatched roof. The cottage was originally owned by a local landlord. Later, its main historical function was that of the region's first coastguard station, in response to the extensive illegal smuggling trade in the Irish Sea during the 18th and early 19th centuries. It is prominently situated on the coastal road near the mouth of the River Nanny, a location that was strategic for the coastguard to monitor the sea.