Description

BEECH HILL

1822/0/10004 BEECH HILL ROAD
31-MAR-08 Spencers Wood
1 & 2 Woodcote Cottages

II
House, C17, now divided into two cottages and with mid-C20 bathroom extensions (the latter are not of special interest).

MATERIALS: Timber-framed, brick chimney stack, tile roof.

PLAN: Three-storey detached house, divided in two cottages. Main block to the south of lobby-entry plan of two cells to each floor. Pair of gabled bays to north plus a single-storey bay under a cat-slide roof. Stairs are central to the plan, now with one set for each cottage.

EXTERIOR: Two main elevations: to the north-east and south-west. North-east elevation of three bays. Single-storey bay to the east under a cat-slide roof and a pair of two-storey, steeply pitched gabled bays to the west. Lean-to single-storey extensions at ground floor level to both gabled bays housing bathroom facilities. Building oddly divided into two cottages with no. 1 occupying the eastern bay and the ground floor of the central bay; no. 2 occupies the first floor of the central bay and the whole of the western bay. Garden-facing two-storey south-west elevation has the appearance of being a single dwelling with an off-centre door protected by a lean-to storm porch (providing access to no. 2) and a central chimney stack which has been rebuilt using old bricks. Access to no. 1 is through a side entrance to the south-east also protected by a lean-to storm porch. The two end gables are three-storey with the upper, third floor tucked high in the gable under a steeply pitched roof. Pebble-dash render conceals the timber-frame beneath apart from the exposed purlin and wall plate ends in the gables. Windows are largely C20 double-glazed units although some C19 timber-framed examples survive; the size and position of the windows suggest they are mainly in original positions.

INTERIOR: Main entrance to south (the lobby-entrance). Access between the two halves of the building now blocked to create two cottages. Winder stair to no. 2 between ground and first floor; ladder access to second. Modern open stairs to no. 1; that between the first and second floor may be in the position of the original as against the north end of the stack. Timber-frame visible throughout including curved wind braces and corner posts. Lath and plaster and brick nogging to the partitions. Principal and secondary ceiling beams with chamfers and stops. Substantial purlins and Queen post structure visible on first and second floors. Raking beams and struts to kitchen of no. 1 under the outshut. Broad wooden floorboards. Some plank doors with wooden latches and pegged surrounds. Back-to-back fireplace on ground floor. Fireplace survives in no. 1 although modified to house a modern wood burner. That to no. 2 may survive behind a range but is not visible. Kiln within large cupboard on north end of chimney stack to no. 2, possibly a bread kiln. Small cast iron Victorian fireplace on first floor of no. 2.

HISTORY: The construction date of the original house is not known although is C17 on architectural evidence. Little in the way of alteration appears to have taken place until the cottages were subdivided. Map evidence suggests this occurred in the very late C19 or early C20 prior to them being shown as two cottages on the 1911 Ordnance Survey map. The single-storey front bathroom and toilet extensions are understood to have been added in 1958. Most windows have been replaced with C20 double-glazed units.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
1 & 2 Woodcote Cottages are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* A substantially intact C17 timber-framed vernacular house of lobby-entry plan.
* Although altered from a single dwelling to a pair of cottages, probably in the late C19 or early C20, the building retains a number of early features of interest including a large ground floor fireplace, wooden plank doors and pegged surrounds and a winder stair.

Reasons for Listing

1 & 2 Woodcote Cottages are recommended for designation for the following principal reasons:
* A substantially intact C17 timber-framed vernacular house of lobby-entry plan.
* Although altered from a single dwelling to a pair of cottages, probably in the early C20, the building retains a number of early features of interest including a large ground floor fireplace, wooden plank doors and pegged surrounds and a winder stair.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671709

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)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version