Number 1, and 2 (Woodside Cottage) is a Grade II listed building in the East Hertfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 13 December 1984. House.
Number 1, and 2 (Woodside Cottage)
- WRENN ID
- turning-wicket-acorn
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- East Hertfordshire
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire MP: Chris Hinchliff (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 13 December 1984
- Type
- House
- Address
- Number 1, and 2 (Woodside Cottage), Paynes End, Anstey
- OS grid reference
- TL 403 333
- Coordinates
- 51.981, 0.04188
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Number 1 and 2, known as Woodside Cottage, is a house that has been converted into two separate homes. It dates back to around 1500 and was originally an open hall house. The western part of the building was modified in the 19th century, with further changes made in the 20th century. The structure features a timber frame with roughcast and white weatherboarding on the eastern bay, while the western extensions match the roughcast. The building has a continuous steep thatched roof that is hipped at the east end.
Originally, it was a four-bay open hall house facing north, and it retains a soot-blackened roof structure, including preserved framing for the western hip and gablet. The solar is located at the eastern end and features heavy flat axial joists, with a steep staircase against the rear wall and a trimmed stair opening in the southwest corner of the former service room on the western side. The rear wall and the partition at the upper end of the hall have curved tension braces, while the central truss of the hall has curved wind braces, with the tie-beam cut away.
Inside, there is a large internal chimney with back-to-back fireplaces, which formerly included an oven, inserted in the lower bay of the hall during the 18th century, with the lower part of the western partition of the hall cut away. The hall has been floored, and a rear dormer has been inserted. The building was divided in the 19th century, sharing the central chimney, with Number 1 located at the eastern end. This property is a notable example of a late medieval small open hall house.
Local climate
Number 1, and 2 (Woodside Cottage) sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 92% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 78% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 59% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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