Description

BEAFORD
SS 51 SW
11/14 Mill Cottage
-
GV II

House. Early C16, altered c.1600 and probably partly rebuilt in the mid C17.
Rendered cob with gable-ended thatched roof. Stone axial stack off-centre to left
and rendered end stack to left with brick top stage.
Plan and development: Three-room and through-or cross-passage plan, sited at right
angles to road (facing south-west). Late Medieval open hall, consisting of central
hall with inner room to right (present kitchen) and former passage and service room
(both since rebuilt) to left. Formerly open to the roof, probably continuously from
end to end, with rooms divided by low partitions. Early C17 (c.1600) alterations
included insertion of the first floor (probably in one phase) and the insertion of
the stack in the hall, backing on to the former passage. Integral end stack inserted
in former inner room at some time too (now truncated). Lower (left-hand) end
(passage and service room) probably rebuilt in the mid C17 with external end stack to
left and square stair projection to rear with winder stair (front entrance still in
original position after rebuilding but does not lead into a passage). Square
projection to rear of hall, possibly former stair turret before lower end was rebuilt
(alternatively possibly a former lateral stack). Internal alterations at the upper
end (probably C19 or C20) to form small room (possibly storeroom) between hall and
inner room (space probably taken from formerly larger hall). Large late C20 lean-to
glazed porch. An alternative interpretation of the house would be with the passage
and service room the right of the hall (see narrow room between hall and kitchen,
possibly former passage). However, it would be unusual for a stack to be inserted at
the upper end of a hall, unless the Medieval house had no inner room (2 rooms and
passage only) and the left-hand end room was built new in the C17. This might
explain the probable earlier stair projection to the rear of the hall. Nevertheless
the interpretation of the house with the service end to left is the most convincing
as it is unlikely that a hall and service end would be floored (c.1600) with
identical high-quality chamfered cross beams. The left-hand end wall in unblackened
in the roofspace. If the house did formerly consist of only the hall and the right-
hand room this wall would probably display some evidence of smoke blackening (unless
it was rebuilt when the stack was inserted). Two storeys.
Exterior: Asymmetrically-fenestrated front, with 3 windows to first floor and 5 to
ground floor; mostly mid to late C20 two-light wooden casements in old openings.
Late C20 three-light wooden casement to kitchen at right, either inserted or in
widened earlier opening, and small C20 one-light casement to its left. Doorway
between first and second windows from left with C20 half-glazed door and C20 wooden
glazed porch.
Interior: Three c.1600 deep-chamfered cross beams with ogee stops, to hall and
former inner room (now kitchen). Hall has central beam resting on stone corbel in
front wall and half beam to right-hand end (incorporated in wall between inner room
and small storeroom). Open stone fireplace in hall of c.1600 has chamfered wooden
lintel with ogee stops. Left-hand ground-floor room has C17 chamfered cross beam
with ogee stops, and old fireplace in left-hand wall. Full-height cob wall between
hall and left-hand end rising into roofspace.
Smoke-blackened late Medieval roof over hall and right-hand end (former inner room).
Two trusses consisting of large chamfered principal rafters with pegged mortice and
tenoned apices and chamfered notched halved lapped collars. Threaded or butt purlins
and diagonally-set ridge-piece, sawn off at left-hand end (probably when stack
inserted). Also blackened rafters (pegged at apices) and battens. Underside of
thatch unblackened. Cob partition wall at left-hand end is unblackened. C17 roof
over left-hand end room with pegged truss consisting of principal rafters and collar.

Listing NGR: SS5432714491

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26399017

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets