Richard Peters Rickman and William Jenner of Lewes, limeburners, leased Glyndebourne Pit and Balcombe Pit from the Glynde Estate in 1846. The lease included Glynde Wharf, with the under-part of the nearby warehouse, on the north of Glynde Reach and on the west of the road through Glynde (now the public car park), and a wharf with meadow adjoining also on the north side of Glynde Reach but on the east side of the road.

Rickman and Jenner used the western wharf as a coal yard. The coal was essential for firing the lime-kilns but Rickman and Jenner also set up a coal merchants business and built this small house on the eastern side of the road for the clerk at the coal-wharf.

The original tenants may have been John Holman (clerk at coal wharf on the 1851 census) his wife Rebecca and daughter Harriet. In either 1859 or 1860 George Stevenson moved to the house and described himself as "clerk to coal merchants" in 1861.

Stevenson lived here with his wife and large family of eight children crammed into this tiny cottage until his death in 1893, aged 74. His daughters Indiana and Julia played stoolball for the Glynde Butterflies.

By 1901 Amos Elphick, foreman in coal wharf, his wife Sarah and their five children were living here but by 1909 Alfred Brown was manager at the wharf, living here with his wife Orpha. Their son, Frank Brown, was killed in action in 1916 in the Great War.

Later residents included George "Cocker" Miller and his wife Iris, from 1936 for about thirteen years. Their children Susan and Geoff were born in the cottage. George worked at Balcombe Pit but from 1935 to 1939 he was also the local coalman. Interviewed in 1988 George recalled that the coal came by rail. All loose in the trucks, like. We used to have to cart it from the station to the coalwharf. Well, a little bit of overtime there, you know with the horse and cart. Coal was 6d a ton to carry it from the station to the coalwharf. The coke was fourpence ha'penny. Well the coal was better because it was heavier, like. Coke – a terrible job that was. Coal was the best. I [looked after the horses]. Young George Holding and meself, 'cause he used to have horses as well you see, young George. He used to, a weekend, water and feed, sort of thing, and I done a weekend. Got half-a-crown for that. Half-a-crown for Saturday and half-a-crown for Sunday, water and feed. I only pulled coal wagons when they was delivered, like, on the main line. Well, then, most of the time I was out delivering coal. Then I had to get the coal for the kilns. That was daily, like. All the time the kilns were going so I had to get the coal for them. Twice a day, morning and afternoon. Coal what came by rail had to be pulled up from the main line to the pit. I used to pull it up on rails. If you go down on the Eastbourne side from Glynde Station there'd be a track along there, see. Specially made for these coal and goods trains. What they call a siding. Well, I used to get them from there. There was no coal-round then [1950] 'cause they'd got rid of the horse and cart and everything, see. Done it by lorry when I went in the army. I don't know what happened to the coal-round, 'cause when I come out of the army and went back there was no coal-round.