History

A 3-unit house, possibly C16 originally as the roof retains truncated cruck trusses. It was rebuilt in stone in the C17-18 with the insertion of an upper storey, when it probably had hall and parlour to the outer ends and service rooms to the centre, a distinctive local plan-form. By the time of the Tithe map, 1846, it is shown as 2 cottages, with a living room at each end and service rooms to the centre. The ceilings and upper storey partitions appear to have been replaced in the late C18-early C19. The smithy was in a lower unit adjoining to the L, and may be contemporary with the conversion to 2 cottages. The building is now one dwelling.

Exterior

An asymmetrical 2-storey 3-window house constructed of lime-washed random stone under a slate roof with stone end stack to L; a former stack to R end is now missing. The front has a boarded door under a slate-hung lintel to L of centre. Windows to L and R, with a 3rd window to far R. These are 2-light wooden casements, mainly with small-pane glazing, those to lower storey with slate-hung lintels (some slates missing), the upper storey windows aligned and immediately under the eaves. To the rear is a boarded door to L of centre, formerly the entrance to the 2nd cottage. On its R side is a 4-pane wooden window with timber lintel. Towards the centre is a small 2-light wooden casement lighting the service room. Former single-storey smithy to L end. Its front has split doors to R and a window opening to L; small opening to gable; rear doorway.

Interior

The front entrance leads into the L-hand unit, formerly the living room of the L cottage. Large stone fireplace with cambered timber lintel, on the L side of which are winding timber stairs. The ceiling has a shallow-chamfered spine beam and plain joists, and appears later than the fireplace. To the R is the partition to the service rooms, with panels of woven oak laths and 2 planked doors. The service rooms were divided axially, the sockets still extant. The living room of the former R-hand cottage has a stone fireplace with long narrow timber lintel and a bakeoven in the R-hand reveal; winding timber staircase on its L side. A planked door led into the rear service room. Ceiling as elsewhere with shallow-chamfered spine beam.

The upper storey was reached from the L-hand staircase. The roof originally had cruck trusses, but these were replaced by tie-beam trusses when the house was raised. The cruck blades are still extant above the tie-beams and retain sockets for the original purlins. New rafters and purlins were added to the outer sides of these blades. The partitions beneath the trusses are mainly of small-scantling timber-framing and appear to be later.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a good regional house in a village setting with an interesting developmental history, from its probable origins as a cruck-framed building, to its division into 2 cottages and addition of a smithy.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29506376

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

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)