Dragon Beams

Dragon Beams is a late 16th-century crosswing combined with a late 18th-century cottage to form a house, with alterations made in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is timber-framed, with exposed framing and plaster, and has a tiled roof to the crosswing and a slated roof to the cottage. The two-bay crosswing was originally jettied at the front but later underbuilt, retaining its original external chimney stack to the rear. The remainder of the original house, which extended to the southwest, has been demolished, and a late 18th-century cottage was built on its site, originally single-storey with attics. The cottage’s roof was raised in the late 19th century to create two full storeys. A small building to the rear, possibly a detached kitchen contemporary with the main house, has been extensively altered and is now linked to the main structure. A 19th-century external chimney stack is on the northeast wall, and there are 20th-century casement windows on each floor.

Internally, the timber frame is partly exposed. The crosswing features jowled storey posts, close studding with curved tension braces trenched to the inside, and a close-spaced purlin roof. The floor was extensively rebuilt, while the cottage was originally plastered. The jetty of the crosswing was underbuilt with straight bracing. A photograph taken around 1920 shows the whole building lathed and plastered externally, with two early 19th-century doors with shallow hoods, now blocked. The removal of the exterior plaster has reduced historical authenticity and may shorten the building’s life. The floor of the crosswing has been reconstructed using false angle ties, and older components of unknown provenance have been introduced into the cottage, diminishing the interior’s historical value.

The remaining historical value primarily resides in the wall framing, roof, and rear chimney stack of the crosswing. The small building to the rear may have been a detached kitchen, and its historical interest is limited to the northwest wall, which appears original and possibly contemporary with the house. The name “Dragon Beams” is not indicative of any structural features within the building. Some alterations could potentially be reversed.