29 And 31, School Lane

Two cottages, located at 29 and 31 School Lane, are likely to have originated as a single dwelling, probably in the earlier 17th century, with alterations occurring in the 18th century and later. No. 29 is constructed of painted brick with a composition tile roof, while No. 31 is built of coursed sandstone rubble with quoins, the front rendered and the side painted. The roof of No. 31 is stone slate, featuring brick chimneys. The buildings form an L-shaped layout, with No. 29 running parallel to the street and No. 31 constituting a two-bay crosswing to the right, which includes a later porch on the rear side.

The cottages are two storeys high with 2+1 windows facing the street. No. 29 has a plain doorway to the right, topped with a thin lintel, and two vertically rectangular windows on the ground floor with raised sills and rectangular lintels. Above are two low, square windows under the eaves, all with altered glazing. No. 31 presents a gabled façade with a single window, centered around a doorway with a six-panel door. Flanking the doorway are vertically rectangular cross-window casement windows. The first floor features a larger, square, transomed six-light window with a central sliding sash opening. The return wall of No. 31 incorporates a small 19th-century brick lean-to scullery-cum-porch and doorway in the rear wall. The rear gable protrudes and is reinforced with a large stone buttress in the centre, accompanied by a nine-pane window to the left and a six-pane window to the right; both original, with small panes, and the left-hand window noticeably warped, reflecting the bending of the wall.

The interior of No. 31 reveals a timber-framed lateral partition, with the framing and infill concealed, and two large, chamfered lateral beams in each room. At first-floor level are substantial chamfered purlins. The interior of No. 29 was not inspected.