Description

TQ 53 37 SPELDHURST GROOMBRIDGE HILL (west side),
OLD GROOMBRIDGE
16/518 The Cottage

GV II

House. According to the owner a resident of Old Groombridge had his
grandmother's diary which mentions a visit to the house when under
construction in 1835. Renovated circa 1980 with new kitchen extension.
Coursed sandstone with sandstone ashlar dressings. Stone or brick stacks with
banded stone chimneyshafts. Peg-tile roof.

Plan: Basically a T-plan house facing south east. Main rooms in a 2-room
plan crosswing projecting forward from left (south west) end of front. Both
rooms heated by lateral stacks backing onto the entrance hall which separates
principal rooms from former kitchen block with projecting gable-end stack.
Present kitchen in circa 1980 extension to rear of original kitchen.

2 storeys with cellar under front end of parlour crosswing.

Exterior: Irregular 1:1:1-window front. Most of the windows are C20
replacement casements but some originals survive with margin panes. First
floor window to left (in front end of crosswing) is a canted bay window with
sandstone roof and base, both tapering in a curve to a ball. There is a
smaller version over the front doorway. Other windows have plain stone
architraves. Doorway up 3 stone steps contains original panelled door with
full height side lights and overlight behind a C20 ornamental trellis porch.
Front end of crosswing is gable-ended, so too is entrance bay and there is a
small gable over the right first floor window, all have plain bargeboards with
apex pendants. Flat band projects at first floor level and carries on round
the left end across the garden (south west) front. This is 3 bays each with a
gable over. Right 2 bays in same style as entrance front including French
windows in the centre bay. Left bay contains paired 12-pane sashes under flat
stone arches. 3 gables over. C20 extension to rear in a sympathetic style
with Gothic-style glazing bars to the windows.

Interior: Contains a great deal of C19 joinery detail. Stairs rise to right
of front doorway; open string with shaped brackets, stick balusters and
mahogany handrail. Roof of tie-beam trusses with clasped side purlins but is
C19.

The Cottage forms part of an attractive gorup of listed buildings on
Groombridge Hill overlooking Groombridge Place (q.v.) and Old Groombridge
village.

Listing NGR: TQ5325837961

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26533770

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)