Aspenden Cottage

TL 3528 ASPENDEN THE STREET (south side)

8/8 Aspenden Cottage

22.2.67

GV II

House. Late C15 open hall house with storeyed E crosswing. C17 W wing, floor inserted in hall, and lower service range at E. Renovated c1800 and 1968. Timber frame on flint and brick sill, roughcast with steep old red tile roofs. Former T-plan open hall house with parlour wing at E, altered in C17 with new 2-storeys cellar and attics W crosswing, old parlour changed to a kitchen, with front jetty underbuilt and 1-storey and attics E service range. Facing N with 2 gabled projecting wings of 2 storeys and attics flanking a single-storey centre with steep roof, deep eaves cove and a 3-light flush casement window to left of c1800 6-panel moulded door in moulded surround with pilasters and double-curved brackets with guttae and dentilled cornice to flat panelled hood. 3 windows to E gable, one to each floor with 2- light Yorkshire sliding casement over 3-light flush casement. 2- light casement to attic of W wing but 2 flush box casements with 6/6 panes to both ground and 1st floor. On different alignment single storey E range has steep roof stepping down to E. 2 2- light casements, the E window with moulded mullion c1700 with leaded lattice and iron casement. 2-light gabled dormer on roof slope. Early C19 bargeboards and rectangular bay windows at rear. Central chimney inserted in hall reduced in size c1800 and stair built beside it. Chimney removed in 1968. 2 external chimneys added to W end c1800. Large external old chimney on E side of old E crosswing enclosed in C17 lower E extension. Interior has exposed timbers with soot-blackened, 2-bay, crown- post roof to hall, clasped-purlin roof to E wing and butt-purlin roof to C17 W wing. Ground floor of E wing has mortice for central bracket of former N jetty, with bearer beam with mortices for central post and 2 3-light diamond mullioned windows, and shutter grooves. Hollow chamfered tie-beam with arched braces supports 2m high cruciform-with-fillets section crown-post with 4-way curved braces, next early C19 cut-string stair with bracketed ends and stick balustrade. Axial curved brace to collar-purlin from plain crown-post in E gable of hall. C17 W wing has tennoned rafters in butt-purl in roof, and chamfered and stopped door frame from hall range to attic. Face-halved and bladed scarf joint E wallplate of W wing by jowled post. A C15 hall house of exceptional interest with many original features. (EHAS Newsletter 23 (1968)1, 40 (1976) 1-2: RCHM Typescript).

Listing NGR: TL3593728203