The Old Thatch Cottage

The Old Thatch Cottage is a timber-framed cottage dating from the 17th century, with additions and alterations from the 18th and 20th centuries. The building stands on a rubble stone plinth with wattle-and-daub infill between its timbers. The roof is now covered in concrete pantiles, though photographs confirm it was formerly thatched.

The cottage has a T-shaped plan and comprises one storey with an attic space. The structure consists of two main ranges. The older spinal range runs north-west to south-east and dates to the 17th century. A slightly later wing, possibly of late 17th or early 18th-century date, extends north-east from this. The end gable wall of this wing has been rebuilt in the later 19th or 20th century. A stone chimney stack was added to the south-east flank of the older range, and a flat-roofed extension was inserted in the 20th century within the re-entrant angle between the two wings.

The south-western front displays timber-framed walling with small-framing arranged in 10 by 3 cells. On the ground floor are a three-light casement window and a similar two-light casement, with a single-light 20th-century window and glazed door at the far right. Two two-light gabled dormers occupy the attic level. The north-western gable end is largely obscured by a large rubble stone chimney stack with offsets, topped by two brick stacks of diamond shape. The south-east gable end has much replaced timber on both floors, though the jowled corner post on the right and the two principals of the queen post gable truss appear original. Two two-light casements occupy the ground floor here, with two 20th-century plate glass windows set within the timber frame at first-floor level, and a two-light casement above. The north-eastern flank of this range is masked by later additions.

The later wing features close-studded walling of 7 by 2 cells on its north-western side, with a two-light casement to the ground floor near the centre, positioned within a former doorway frame with stone plinth. The north-east gable end has stone walling to the ground floor and a three-light metal-framed 20th-century casement to the attic gable.

Internally, the northern ground floor room of the older range contains two axial chamfered ceiling beams with end-stops. The chimney stack at the north-western end has been refaced in rubble stone. The south-eastern ground floor room also has end-stopped, chamfered ceiling beams in both rooms and a 20th-century brick fire surround. The timber frame is visible in the walling of both rooms, and traces remain in the ceiling beams of the south-eastern room indicating the former position of the original staircase. A new staircase was inserted in the 20th century in the later wing. The first floor displays two rows of staggered purlins to the older range and wide floorboards in this section. The later wing also has substantial purlins, later reinforced with inserted principals and metal braces.