Upper Standish Wood Fold Cottages

Upper Standish Wood Fold Cottages is a pair of dwellings, originally a single house, dating to the late 16th and 17th centuries, with 20th-century alterations and additions. The building is constructed of coursed rubble sandstone, largely whitewashed, with rendered areas and concrete tile gable end roofs.

Originally partly timber framed, the house features a central hall, initially open but with a smoke bay and heating stack from its inception. A north wing, probably at the lower end, incorporates service rooms below and a principal chamber above. A cross passage is marked by a secondary truss. The wing at the other end appears to have replaced an earlier structure and is a separate build with a differing roof profile, as indicated by a vertical masonry joint. The hall is heated by an end stack, which now also serves the south wing, while the north wing has a lateral external stack. The building now has two storeys throughout.

Despite later accretions, including a rear lean-to and a large crazy-paving lean-to at the south end, the original structure remains visible, along with several early windows, some of which are blocked. Of historic interest are the windows of the south wing: at the west end, a blocked three-light window with large diamond mullions sits above a similar window with 19th-century casements; traces of a third blocked window remain in the gable wall. The south wing also has a similar three-light window on its south side on the first floor. The north wing has a possible early opening on its west face at first floor level, and the hall has a sliding sash window on its east side.

The interior reveals extensive timber framing between the hall and north wing, with large posts and curved struts, and a king post roof above the hall. A spare truss tie beam marks the position of the cross passage. The north wing contains an early 17th-century splat baluster staircase, and a ceiling beam with quadrant moulding. The roof is a side purlin design with pegged and morticed principals. The south wing features a queen strut roof with rougher ceiling beams exposed on the ground floor.