Description

WHITESTONE
SX 89 SW
3/102 Chants Cottage

- II

Cottage. Circa late C17/early C18 or later, extended in the circa late C18/early
C19. Whitewashed rendered cob; right end wall rebuilt in stone rubble; thatched roof
hipped at ends; brick chimney shaft to left end stack, rear right brick chimney shaft
heating outshut.
The present plan is 2 rooms wide, the left-hand room heated from the left end stack
with a rear right outshut and a small late C20 single-storey rear left addition. The
right-hand end of the house is the earliest and appears to be a late C17/early C18
single-cell cottage, presumably originally heated from a stack at the right end, the
stack no longer exists. In the circa late C18/early C19 the cottage was extended by
1 room at the left which served as a kitchen, the earlier room probably being used as
a parlour. A cross passage was created between the rooms by a partition wall within
the right-hand room. At an unknown date the right end wall and stack were rebuilt as
a stone rubble wall, reducing the earlier part of the house to an unheated service
room. In the circa late C19 a dog-leg stair was inserted at the rear of the passage
and the rear right outshut was added. In the C20 the partition wall of passage was
removed and part of the cob wall dividing the 2 rooms was removed at first floor
level and the apex of the wall supported on an inserted beam.
2 storeys. Almost symmetrical-3-window front, the eaves thatch eyebrowed over the 3
first floor windows, C20 porch with lean-to roof in centre, late C20 fenestration of
2- and 3-light iron casements with diamond-leaded panes.
Interior The most remarkable feature of the interior is what appears to be an
exceptionally late jointed cruck truss over the right-hand end: the carpentry detail
is rough, the principal that is visible is nailed on the face of the joint, a
straight collar is pegged on to the principals which have a halved, pegged X apex.
Judging from the apex and the unusual use of nails, the truss could be as late as the
late C18, a remarkably late example of a jointed cruck. The feet of the truss do not
appear to extend below first floor level. The formerly external cob wall and hipped
roof that mark the left-hand end of the earlier part of the house are visible in the
roofspace. The ground floor has 2 cross beams; ground floor room right has an open
fireplace with a segmental brick lintel and brick-faced jambs, the former bread oven
no longer exists. The first floor has some circa late C18 plank doors with unusually
pretty strap hinges.
The roof construction of Chants Cottages is particularly interesting historically.

Listing NGR: SX8429594247

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26511068

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)