18 and 20 Hillfoot Road

An early 17th century vernacular cottage comprising two cells with a lobby entry plan, constructed from reused building material. Now subdivided to form a pair of cottages and extended in the 20th century.

The building is constructed of an elm timber frame with surviving wattle and daub infill to the second floor and red brick laid in Flemish bond to the ground floor. The roof is covered in clay plain tiles with a shared red brick ridge stack. The north extension to number 18 features black stained weatherboarding with a flat felt-covered roof, while the east extension is rendered brick with a tile roof.

Originally a timber-framed house of two storeys with a cross-wing on a south-west alignment, lower than the main building, the two-cell lobby entry plan form remains legible. The property is now subdivided into two cottages sharing a red brick chimney stack. The cross-wing was largely extended in the 20th century with a single-storey link leading to a two-storey range, and a single-storey flat roof extension with felt covering has been added to the rear of number 18, wrapping around the north-east corner.

The principal south-east elevation has red brick to the ground floor with timber framing and rough cast render infill to the first floor, and a modern red brick and timber porch. Number 18 contains two uPVC modern windows to ground and first floor levels. The cross-wing end is entirely covered in rough cast render with evidence of brick surviving beneath and a tile string course, with a modern timber casement window. Number 20 uses timber casement windows consistently throughout. The south-west elevation is completely covered in rough cast render with no visible timber framing or brick. Number 20 has two pitched dormer windows to the attic, with the easternmost being larger.

Internally, in number 18, the lobby is accessed via an early 21st century porch. To the south-west wall in the main room an inglenook fireplace survives with the bresummer beam, although a modern brick insertion has been installed for a woodburning stove. The earlier fireplace fabric is in narrow red brick in stretcher bond, typical of the 16th or early 17th century. A substantial chamfered axial beam of elm runs the length of the room, terminating at the north-east wall which is red brick laid in Flemish bond with some modern repairs to the timbers. The north-west wall is timber and plaster with midrail and studs showing signs of reuse. The south-east wall is plaster-covered brick with modern timbers nailed to the surface.

The kitchen is housed in the outshot, which may be contemporary with the building or a later phase, and contains carpenters' marks on the timbers. The outshot retains the staircase which winds tightly upwards to the first floor. At first floor, a ceiling sits at roof collar level with evidence of wattle and daub infill material. Considerable timber framing survives, though some modern repair and intervention is apparent. The roof structure was not accessible but likely survives.

Number 20 comprises the cross-wing and some attic space of number 18. An internal inspection was not undertaken, but available sources confirm the inglenook fireplace, bresummer beam and axial beams survive to the ground floor. At first floor, exposed timbers are evident in the walls and roof structure, though a partition wall has been introduced to create two rooms.