Staples Cottage

Staples Cottage is a Grade II* listed house located on Raffin Green Lane in Aston. It dates from the late 16th century, with the west end and hall range rebuilt in the 17th century. The house has seen extensions to the east and north in the late 19th century, and a north lean-to and conservatory were added around 1960. The structure features a timber frame on a renewed red brick sill, with plastered panelled fan-pargetting and steep old red tile roofs.

Originally, it was a T-shaped house with a two-storey, two-bay crosswing at the south and a hall range, which was rebuilt in the early 17th century to be two-storeys and project to the north, featuring a one-meter wide passage at the south end. A one-and-a-half storey, one-bay service room was added to the west end of the crosswing, which now serves as the entrance hall, complete with an external gable chimney. The east end of the larger bay of the south crosswing has a large external gable chimney with crow steps. The hall range was extended by a bay to the north and then by a lower two-storey range. The north side of the crosswing is partitioned as a passage in timber framing, possibly for an entrance on the east. The house has three-light and four-light hardwood mullioned windows with slim metal casements.

The south front features a gabled dormer in the one-and-a-half storey west part, with a heavy battened old oak door accessed by three steps and topped with a flat hood on small shaped brackets. There are two windows on each floor of the crosswing, all with hardwood mullioned windows that have horizontal proportions. A large red brick chimney with axial flues and crow-step decoration is prominent, and there is a shallow catslide roof on the east side extension.

Overall, Staples Cottage is an impressive and picturesque timber-framed house that clearly illustrates the various stages of its construction.