4-6, HALE ROAD

Nos. 4 and 6 Hale Road are a pair of limewashed brick cottages, dating to the late 17th century. They are situated at the far northern end of Hale Road. No. 6 is to the left and no. 4 to the right, with the northern part of no. 4 sharing a slate roof with no. 6 which may have been raised at a later date. The cottages feature plain brick stacks.

The exterior of no. 6 has a central boarded entrance door, with an external lattice porch flanked by two horizontal sliding sash windows with six panes to each light. A timber-framed gabled dormer features a triple horizontal sliding sash. A ridge stack is centrally positioned above the door. The south gable end has overhanging thatch and a triple sliding sash window, with a C20 uPVC conservatory added. No. 4 features a boarded entrance door, a porch flanked by two horizontal sliding sashes, a raised eaves line to the right, and a further horizontal sliding sash window on the ground floor. A ridge stack sits at the north end of the thatch, and a casement window is located in the upper floor of the north gable end. A single-storey brick lean-to with a slate roof extends along the full length of the west elevation of the cottages, with casement windows and two rear doors.

Inside no. 6, the layout includes a lobby entry and a back-to-back rebuilt brick fireplace. There are raised floor levels and late 17th-century boarded doors, some with strap hinges. A winding stair is positioned behind the fireplaces leading to the upper floor. A lounge to the right of the lobby has an oak beamed ceiling, while a pantry/storage area is located off to the west within the lean-to, providing access to a kitchen in the southwest corner of the lounge. The lounge to the left of the lobby has a bevelled ceiling beam running east to west, a door in the west wall leading to the kitchen in the lean-to, and a door in the south wall to the conservatory. The kitchen has a stone flag floor, an oak ceiling beam running north to south, and doors leading to the garden and bathroom. The upper floor originally comprised two rooms; the south room has been partitioned to create a landing and separate toilet. An inglenook chimney breast features in both bedrooms. The north room contains a Queen strut truss set into the party wall, supported by a tie beam, a ridge beam, two side purlins running the length of the cottage, and half-rafters (some of which have been replaced in the 20th century). The south room features two altered trusses with hybrid tie beams and uprights.

No. 4 has a 2 1/2-room linear ground floor plan, with a lean-to containing a kitchen and bathroom to the rear. C20 gas fires and surrounds have been inserted. It retains late 17th-century boarded doors, and a steep stair located in the northwest corner of the central room leads to a bedroom at the north end of the cottage. The roof features two oak purlins, and also incorporates an 8-light casement window.

Nos. 4 and 6 Hale Road are believed to date to the late 17th century and form a pair of semi-detached limewashed brick cottages with a thatched and slate roof. They retain their original floor plan, construction, and much of their original fabric, including boarded doors, horizontal sliding sashes, bevelled oak beams, a winding stair, and a Queen strut truss roof with surviving side purlins, ridge beam, and half-rafters in no. 6. These features mark them as important survivals of modest rural vernacular architecture and they satisfy the national criteria for listing.