The Cottage

The Cottage is a house dating from the 17th century or early 18th century, which was remodeled as a cottage ornée in the late 18th century or early 19th century. An additional room was added to the west end after 1844. The building features a timber frame that is plastered, topped with a steep thatched roof. It is 1½ stories tall and has a three-cell layout with an internal chimney and a lobby entry plan. The house is set back and faces north, with an added west bay and a projecting thatched porch located a third of the way from the east end.

There are six windows along the front, with the wallhead raised to accommodate three hipped dormers. The windows are Gothic casement style, arranged in triplets with shafts between, and feature arched heads, segmental super-arches, and louvred external shutters. Inside, there is a fine octagonal entrance hall and coved niches at the cardinal points. The lower panels of the six-panel doors have reeded surrounds, and the fireplaces have corner blocks with moulded architraves. An 1844 drawing by Buckler shows a similar arrangement without the west room and includes a lean-to glazed conservatory to the west of the porch. The building is marked as Great Hormead Cottage on the Ordnance Survey map.