The Oak Cottage

The Oak Cottage is a house dating from the mid to late 16th century, with a service wing added to the rear in the late 1930s, otherwise retaining original character. It is timber-framed with rendered infill panels, and has a steeply pitched plain tile roof with a ridge stack. The plan is of a single range of four bays, featuring a lobby entry. The house is two storeys high, with the first floor jettied; the jetty beam is carved with a pattern of running folded leaves. The exterior has C20 leaded light casement windows, with two at the first floor and three at ground level. The doorway remains in its original location opposite the stack, but has a C20 door.

Inside, the layout includes a narrower stair and lobby-entry bay, a service bay to the right, and a two-bay hall to the left. The house is floored throughout, and features an inglenook hearth. The interior retains stop-chamfered joists and main beams, with one main beam being boxed in. Closed trusses are present between the lobby entry and hall, and the service bay. The timber framing is of substantial construction, with some cranked bracing, some of which has been removed. Tie beams are cambered. The roof is intact and of clasped side purlin construction in four bays, with cranked wind bracing between the principal rafters and the purlins. The first floor chamber above the hall was likely open to the roof at one time, and remains of oak lathes are nailed to the soffits of the rafters.