Description

SX 78 SW DREWSTEIGNTON DREWSTEIGNTON

5/93 Rookwood Cottage and Ashplants,
Fingle Cottage
22.2.67

GV II

2 cottages. C17, probably C16 core, both modernised in C20. Plastered cob on stone
rubble footings; stone rubble stacks topped with C20 brick; thatch roof.
Plan and development: pair of 2-room cottages facing south and built across the
hillslope. Rookwood Cottage is the left cottage and Ashplants, Fingle Cottage, is
the right cottage. In fact the cottages result from the subdivision of a 4-room-
and-through-passage house. Rookwood Cottage occupies the former hall and unheated
inner room. Doorway has been inserted into the inner room and the larger hall (to
right) has a large axial stack backing onto the former passage. Ashplants, Fingle
Cottage occupies the site of the former passage and 2 service end rooms. Now the
lower passage partition has been removed and the first service end room thus
enlarged. It has a C19 axial stack inserted against the back of the C17 hall stack.
The right end second service end room has a large projecting gable-end stack,
probably built in the C17 for a kitchen. C20 outshots to rear. Main block is 2
storeys.
Exterior: overall irregular 5-window front of late C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars, 2 to Rookwood Cottage and 3 to Ashplants, Fingle Cottage. The passage
front doorway is roughly central and is now blocked by a C20 casement. Nevertheless
there is still a porch here; it is built of granite ashlar, gabled with a 2-centred
granite outer arch. This may be as early as the C16. The present doorways to the
cottages contain C20 doors, that to Ashplants, Fingle Cottage, behind a C20 gabled
porch. Roof is gable-ended to right and to left runs continuously with the roof of
Edgecombe (q.v) adjoining that end.
Interior: only Rookwood Cottage was available for interior inspection at the time
of this survey. The hall has a large granite ashlar fireplace with side oven and
soffit-chamfered oak lintel. The crossbeam here is soffit-chamfered with scroll
stops; the same finish as the lintel over the blocked doorway to the former passage.
Roof is inaccessible and the truss is boxed into the first floor partition. A
curious round-headed alcove in the rear wall of the hall chamber of unknown
function. It is thought by the owner to be a cradle cupboard. Although no interior
inspection of Ashplants, Fingle Cottage, was available at the time of this survey
C17, maybe C16, features are suspected.
These cottages form part of an attractive group of listed buildings to east of the
Churchyard.

Listing NGR: SX7371990857

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26593161

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

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)