Coach House

Coach House, Kings End Road, Powick

A pair of late 17th-century cottages that were converted to a coach house and stables by the early 19th century, then changed back to domestic accommodation in the early 1980s and upgraded in 2000.

The building is single-storey with an attic floor, measuring six bays, constructed as a timber-framed structure with brick nogging towards the west and elsewhere obscured by a brick skin. The gabled roof is tile-covered with a single brick chimney stack and six gabled dormer windows with weatherboard cladding. The south elevation displays five gabled dormer windows; the two western ones are contained entirely within the roof, while the three eastern ones project partly below the eaves. The west two bays of this elevation retain timber-framing with brick nogging. There are four replacement windows and a modern door between the posts and studs. The central pair of bays are dominated by a large flat-headed opening protected by a modern glass, timber and brick porch. The east bays contain a door and window, both with segmental heads, together with a single gabled dormer and small window at attic floor level. Slightly protruding brickwork indicates the position of bay posts. The east gable, with low coping and shoulder, is built entirely in English Garden wall bond brick and has a pair of windows, originally with segmental heads. The north elevation has a single gabled dormer window and a small chimney stack protruding through the roof. The eastern four bays are of brick with a very small square window and a second window with segmental head. The western bays, sitting on a brick plinth, are timber-framed with brick nogging and a pair of windows.

Interior: Much of the timber-frame is visible. On the ground floor, three lateral timber-framed partitions survive, one with diagonal struts. Four chamfered ceiling beams survive; three retain exposed floor joist mortices and one is a modern replacement. Localised chamfering of a beam in the west bay marks the position of an original doorway, while another now-blocked doorway may survive in the north wall of the same bay. A single brick fireplace with timber lintel and tile surround stands against the north wall and has a modern appearance, though it may have earlier origins. Most windows and doors except for a solitary small window in the north wall of the east bay are modern replacements. Modern timber staircases are located in the second bay from the west and in the south-east corner of the east bay.

On the attic floor, the roof structure is clearly discernible as a series of principal rafter trusses with mainly substantial trenched purlins. The wall plate is visible in places and will survive elsewhere below plasterwork. At one point the junction between wall plate and truss has been strengthened by a metal plate. A small window in the east end of the south wall may be original.