34a, Northill Road

No. 34a Northill Road, formerly known as Cople Cottage, is a house dating back to the 17th century, with alterations and additions made in the 19th and 20th centuries. The original structure is timber-framed, with a colour-washed rough cast exterior and an old clay tile roof. The earliest building has a rectangular plan.

The house is of one storey and attics. An adjoining outhouse to the east was raised to the same height and converted into domestic living space in the 19th century. The south elevation features three gabled dormers, while the north elevation has two hipped dormers. All windows are casement windows with leaded lights, most of which are 20th century replacements. The gabled roof has a central red brick ridge stack, with additional stacks at the junction with the eastern extension and a red brick integral stack to the east gable end. A 20th-century range to the north, known as 34b Northill Road, is not of historic interest.

The interior of 34a Northill Road retains exposed 17th-century wall framing, including studwork, tie beams and wall plates. The original three-room plan-form is still discernible despite alterations. The interior of 34b Northill Road has no historic interest.

The house was originally the gardener’s cottage for Cople House, which was demolished in the 20th century. It is situated at the north-east corner of the former kitchen garden, with the enclosing walls of that garden still in existence. The cottage was extended in the 19th century to incorporate an outbuilding. Further substantial extensions were constructed to the west and north in the 20th century, the latter forming 34b Northill Road. A porch and conservatory have been added to the south in recent times. An extension built in the mid-20th century was formerly interconnected with the original building, but in approximately 2005 it became a separate dwelling (34b Northill Road) and the two structures are no longer internally connected, although they remain physically attached.

The building is designated at Grade II primarily because it retains a significant amount of 17th-century fabric, and because it exhibits good quality timber framing that reflects the vernacular building tradition.