River Cottage

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 29/05/2019

SO57NW 482-1/5/96

BITTERLEY MIDDLETON River Cottage

(Formerly listed as House approximately 100 metres to south-east of Brook House)

GV II* Formerly known as: No.1 Brookhouse Cottage, Middleton. House. Medieval, with C17 and C19 alterations. Timber frame on rubble plinth, and brick. Plain-tile roof. Integral stone gable-end stack with brick shaft. Three bay cruck-framed hall house range.

EXTERIOR: single-storey and attic. Entrance in gable to south east; stone stack with brick additions and doorway to right. Weatherboarded frame over. Left return side: square-and rectangular-panelled framing two panels high with brick and wattle infill, framed window opening. Framing masked to left by lean-to.Right return side: C19 brick with oak-framed mullion window, dormer with two-light casement. Rear gable-end: brick, with two-light casement with brick segmental arch, at both floors.

INTERIOR: bay one (north) has ground-floor lateral cross-frame of door post, middle rail, chamfered and arched door-head, slots for board infill. Simple large section floor joists. C19 winder staircase. Single trenched-purlin roof with swept windbrace. Diagonal ridge. Rafters to south pitch raised and restored. North internal truss of two full cruck blades, diminishing backing-rafters, notched and pegged upper and lower collars, inserted stud and middle rail and boarded door below collar, low tie beam with three posts to sill plate with middle rails and doorway. Infilled with wattle and daub at attic level and with butt-jointed boards at lower level. Ground-floor frame chamfered to bay one, and moulded to bay two.

Bay two (central): pair of swept braces to south with lapped truss connection. Former open hall with inserted C17 floor of deep-chamfered bridging beam and cross-beam set on deep-chamfered planted rail. South internal truss of two full cruck blades, backing rafters, notched and pegged upper and lower collars. Truss partly infilled by later stack with C19 cast-iron attic-floor fireplace, and ground-floor inglenook with chamfered mantlebeam with ogee stops and central check-mould, C19 cast-iron range inserted in inglenook.

Bay three: inserted C17 stone stack. Rubble bread oven to south-west. Single swept brace with lapped truss connection. End truss obscured by later finishes.

Good example of the evolution of a small medieval rural house unmodified since the C19.

Listing NGR: SO5421577504