Pear Tree Cottage

Pear Tree Cottage is a cottage dating from the 16th century or earlier, with later alterations and additions. The building is timber-framed, with sections plastered and others weatherboarded, and has a red plain tiled roof that overhangs at the rear. A central red brick chimney stack is present. The cottage is one storey high with attics. It features two 20th-century windows with small panes, a centrally positioned vertically boarded door, and a gable facing the road with both ground floor and attic windows. A single-storey red tiled extension extends from the front. Inside, a back-to-back inglenook fireplace remains. Parts of the timber frame are exposed, revealing an inserted ceiling with stop-chamfered bridging and ceiling joists. The structure contains heavy, widely spaced wall studs, with halved and bridled top plate scarfs. A single-story post includes a mortise for a large arched brace, likely removed when the ceiling and chimney were installed. Arched bracing is visible on the front wall, and combed pargeting covers the original rear wall. The cottage suffered some damage during the late 19th century earthquake.