1-2, PARK LANE

This is a pair of cottages forming part of a terrace of three, located in Chaddesley Corbett. The building dates from around the late 16th or early 17th century, with extensions and alterations in the 17th century and remodelling around the early 18th century. The cottages are timber-framed and faced with painted brick, with a plain tile roof and gabled ends. The stacks are brick, including an axial stack, gable-end stacks, and a truncated rear lateral stack.

The cottages appear to have originally been a pair, with Number 2 representing the original two-bay range from the 16th or early 17th century. The right-hand bay of Number 1 was likely added in the 17th century, with its chamber jettied out. A further room was added to the left-hand side of Number 1 in the later 17th century. Around the early 18th century, the range was converted into a row of three cottages and encased in brick, with the construction of Number 3 on the right. Later rear outshuts were added in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The south front has a single and attic storey and three windows. The central and right sections feature tall wooden cross-mullion-transom windows with metal casements and glazing bars set within segmental arch openings. A doorway with a chamfered frame sits between the windows, leading to a 20th-century door and canopy. A 20th-century porch and a two-light casement are on the left side. There are two 20th-century gabled dormers on the right. At the rear of Number 2 is a large brick lateral stack with set-offs and single-storey rear outshuts.

Inside Number 2, there are two unchamfered cross-beams and joists, along with a large lateral fireplace with an unchamfered timber lintel. The frame is exposed, displaying square panels, tension-braces, tie-beam-collar-trusses, wind-braces, a trenched diagonally-set ridge-piece, and common rafters. An arched door head cut into the soffit of the tie-beam in the left (west) end of Number 2 indicates where the east bay of Number 1 was added. Number 1’s larger left room has a chamfered axial beam with cyma stops and unchamfered joists; the right-hand chamber exposes framing.