Drakes Bridge

Drakes Bridge is a dwelling of 17th or 18th century origin, with alterations from the 19th century and later. The house is constructed of a timber frame and rubble stone, with later red brick walls and stacks, and a tile roof. The front elevation is roughcast rendered. The windows are mostly metal casements, although there are also some timber and uPVC units. The outshut is of brick construction with a corrugated sheet roof.

The building is rectangular on plan and oriented south-west/north-east. It comprises three principal rooms and an entrance hall on the ground floor, and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. An outshut addition spans three bays at the rear, with a further modern addition projecting to its rear.

The four-bay road front has a door with a tile-roofed porch to the right of centre. The bay to the left has a casement under a segmental head, with some indications of a former, larger opening visible in the surrounding brickwork. There are 20th century oriels in the far left and right bays on the ground floor. The first floor has 20th century casements set high in the brick eaves under a dentil cornice. A projecting stone chimney with substantial offset roofs under plain tiles is located on the right flank. A small, brick infill outshut, under a tiled roof, continues the façade and has a small, sealed opening facing west, below the eaves. A red brick stack adjoins this. On the west flank, the central brick chimney breast widens at its base and projects forward of the wall, featuring a brick stack. To the ground floor left is a casement, and further left, a door to the rear outshut. The rear elevation has casements to the first floor and an outshut to the central and right three bays. The left bay has a casement under a segmental brick head to the ground floor. The main pitched roof has an irregular ridgeline and a brick ridge stack.

The entrance hall has close stud walls on each side, including an exposed corner post to the rear left, beyond a plank door under a lateral stair of 20th century date. The door to the principal room to the east has oak jambs, a spine beam, and a cill beam that form part of the stud wall. This east room has a chamfered spine beam with run-out stops, engaged with the spine beam at the west end, and a stone inglenook against the east wall, complete with an oak bressumer, stone jambs, hearth, and chimney with a keystone. The room to the west of the entrance hall has a replaced ceiling beam. On the first floor, two exposed oak trusses remain in situ and are used as room divisions; these have been altered at their north end to create door openings. Historic fittings include plank doors with iron fitments and plank flooring.