River Cottage

River Cottage is an 18th-century house situated on Ongar Road in Lambourne. It is timber-framed and exhibits a mix of construction materials: some sections are weatherboarded, others are roughcast rendered, and the roof is covered with handmade red clay tiles. The main block is three bays wide, aligned approximately northeast to southwest, with a southeast-facing aspect and a chimney stack at the rear of the northeast bay. A two-storey lean-to is attached to the rear, and a single-story lean-to extension with a slate roof and conservatory features at the southwest end.

The house is two stories high with attics. The ground floor is weatherboarded. The central entrance has a 4-panel door, with glazed upper panels, set within a 20th-century tiled porch featuring a richly carved surround depicting naturalistic fruit, foliage, and two children’s heads. Two double-hung sash windows, each with 12 lights, are located on the ground floor. The first floor is roughcast rendered with three similar windows. The roof is gambrel-shaped.

Unusual cast iron windows are a distinctive feature: one is located in the northeast gable at attic level and two are found at the southwest end, one at first floor level and one at attic level. These windows have lattice glazing bars, marginal lights of coloured glass, V-shaped heads, and central pivots.