Description

SU 96SE CHOBHAM C.P. PENNYPOT LANE

5/91 Pennypot Cottage
28/2/55
II

Vernacular house. Central two and a half bays early C17 with late C17 bay added to west and late C18 bay added to east. Mid and late C20 additions including porch and gabled extension to east, square bay projection on ground floor of south front and large C20 extensions to the south east are not of special interest.

MATERIALS: Timberframed with painted brick infill on rendered plinth. Plaintiled roof with external brick chimneystack at west end and ridge chimneystack towards eastern end.

PLAN: Originally probably a two bay end chimneystack house or possibly smoke bay house, extended by one bay at each end. Four rooms to first floor but currently two rooms to ground floor. Two storeys: irregular fenestration of casements, mainly with wooden surrounds and metal casements with leaded lights.

EXTERIOR: The north elevation has corner and three irregularly-spaced intermediate posts with a midrail and tension braces to the penultimate bay to the east. Studs remain to the upper part. There is one gabled semi-dormer and three other windows. The west end has framing of thinner scantling with a midrail at a different height, curved braces, queenposts and purlins visible. The east side has framing of even thinner scantling with a partially weatherboarded gable, a two tier casement of six lights to the upper floor and tie beam, diagonal tension brace and queenposts visible. The south side has nearly three bays of the original building visible. There is a midrail and studs to the upper floor only and a curved tension brace to the western corner. There is a gabled semi-dormer to the west and two early cast iron windows. The ground floor has C20 casement windows and door.

INTERIOR: The eastern end bay has one visible old ceiling beam, some C20 beams and an RSJ. A trimmer on the south side allowed a staircase and there is a doubling of the joist to take the ends of the boards. The penultimate bay to the east is very narrow and contains a curved C18 brick fireplce with a wooden bressumer bearing rush light marks. This is a parlour fireplace which replaced the original cooking hearth when the west bay was added. The spine beam has lambs tongue stops and there are four pairs of joists with diminished haunch tenons. The spine beam has large C20 metal clamps at the western end as the former partition wall has been removed. The adjoining bay has nine ligthweight posts, six of softwood and three of elm. There is an RSJ between this and the end bay which has a spine beam with lambs tongue stops and eight pairs of floor joists. the open fireplace was re-worked in the late C20. A c1950 winder staircase leads to the upper floor. The eastern room has wallplate tie beam, queenposts and tension braces visible. A south corridor now connects the other rooms. The penultimate room to the east has an exposed tie beam, queenpost and wallplate visible. There is a plank door, possibly reused. The ceiling contains wattle and daub infill. The penultimate room to the west has a partition wall with studs and slightly curved brace between this room and the western bedroom. This was the original end room of the cottage before the western bay was built. The western bedroom has visible wallplates, tie beam and a small curved brick fireplace. The roof structure was partially visible hrough the ceiling of the penultimate bedroom to the west showing pegged rafters. A recent report shows that the roof structure throughout has queenposts and collars with clasped purlins.

HISTORY: The building's remote location at a distance from Chobham village and thin scantling suggests it may have been a squatter's cottage on common land. If not, the land was unable to support a more substantial structure. The central two and a half bays appear to be of early C17 date and the queenposts were numbered sequentially showing this part of the building was all of one date. Further bays were added at the western end with an external chimneystack at the end of the C17 and at the eastern end in the late C18 or early C19. There is local recollection that in the 1920s the building was derelict with trees growing out of the roof. Circa 1950 the building was renovated and then an L-range added to the south-east and a square bay to the south side in 1955. Further extensions to the east were proposed c1970. The laundry was extended probably in 1977. A porch was also added to the east side.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
* A substantial proportion of the original timberframing survives of the wall frame, internal partitions and roof structure, despite C20 additions such as RSJs and some replacement timbers.
* Its plan form of a two bay end chimneystack or smoke bay house, extended at each end, is still readable.
* As a possible squatter's cottage it would not have had much decorative detail; however those that survive are two mainly C18 brick fireplaces, some plank doors and some original leaded light casements.

SOURCES:
Unpublished report by P J Gray of 1999.
Unpublished notes by Martin Higgins (SCC ref 32/3/81) May 2006.

Listing NGR: SU9662161616

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26281262

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)