Pond Cottage

Pond Cottage is a cottage dating back to the 16th century, with alterations made in the 18th and 20th centuries. It is timber-framed, predominantly weatherboarded, although the west elevation has been infilled with 20th-century brick, with the frame exposed externally. The roof is thatched. The cottage is three bays wide, aligned east to west, facing north. There are axial chimney stacks at the eastern end, dating from the 18th or 19th century, and at the eastern end of the west bay, from the 20th century. Lean-to sheds are attached at both ends. The cottage is single-storey with attics.

The south elevation features three 20th-century casement windows with a swept profile, and a dormer with a casement window. The roof is half-hipped at the west end only. Some timber framing is exposed internally, including jowled posts, curved tension bracing trenched to the inside of the studs, and original tiebeams. The west elevation exhibits interrupted tiebeam construction, with an original window featuring two diamond mullions at tie level, all remaining in situ and exposed externally. Original wattle and daub is visible where covered by a lean-to shed to the west, and is reportedly present in the wall between the middle and east bays.

The north elevation of the cottage is depicted on the Walker map of 1609 (held at the Essex Record Office D/DU 25), which illustrates its development. In 1609, it comprised three bays with a chimney stack in the middle bay; the eastern bay was one storey high and approximately one metre shorter than it is now, while the western bay was two storeys high from the outset. The lower room was lit by windows to the north and south (the north window being illustrated slightly lower than the other two), and the upper room was lit by the window in the west elevation, which remains in its original position under the half-hip. At a later date, probably in the 18th century, the central chimney stack was removed to increase interior room space; floors were inserted in this and the east bay, and the stack was rebuilt externally at the east end. Subsequently, the building was extended eastwards by approximately one metre to incorporate the stack within the building and utilize the space on either side. Wallplate alterations are fixed with forelocks. In the 20th century, a small chimney stack was added to the west bay, and the floor was rebuilt at a higher level to compensate for subsidence or rising ground levels. The present north door occupies the position of the middle window shown on the Walker map, although evidence of the original window remains in the structure. 20th-century windows occupy the positions of the other windows illustrated on the Walker map.