Essex Cottage Morningside

Morningside and Essex Cottage are a pair of cottages located on the north side of Hammonds Road in Hatfield Broad Oak. They date from the 16th and 17th centuries, with later alterations. The cottages are two storeys high, constructed with timber framing and plaster, and feature a gabled peg tile roof. There are two small stacks along the ridge line, and the front of the cottages has 19th-century small pane casements. Morningside includes a 20th-century flat-roofed glazed porch. Originally, the cottages were single storey, with a reversed assembly at the east end. They were raised to one storey and attics in the mid-17th century, and later to two storeys. The middle phase of construction shows halved and bladed scarf joints and a tenoned junction between the tie beam and top plates. There is one original 17th-century moulded plank door still in place, along with a mid-17th-century inserted floor. The cottages are included in the listing primarily for their group value.