This is the ship’s forecastle, often shortened to ‘fo’c’sle’. At the forward end you’ll see two small guns called ‘falcons’ which are protruding out of the gunports. Guns which stick out of the front of ships like this are called ‘bow-chasers’ and are used by mariners to attempt to slow down ships which they were chasing by damaging their masts, sails and rigging.
The fo’c’sle itself may have provided additional sleeping space for higher ranking members of the crew. It is also possible that cooking and food preparation took place in here. Whilst on larger warships of the period, food was usually cooked on a large black brick stove in the ship’s hold, it was becoming increasingly common for ships undertaking longer voyages to build the stove in the fo’c’sle, venting the smoke through the hatch in the foredeck above. This is because regularly lighting a fire in the hold raised the temperature in the space, causing the provisions kept there to rot more quickly. Ships crews would have included a cook and cook’s mates.
Through the door at the forward end, mariners would have been able to access the beakhead, the ship’s primary latrine.