The Garden Cottage approximately 130 metres south west of Balls Park Mansion

TL3311NW 817-1/9/267

HERTFORD BALLS PARK The Garden Cottage approximately 130 metres south west of Balls Park Mansion

GV II House, now student residence. C18, altered and extended C19 and early C20. Red brick, English and Flemish bond, yellow brick porch on south, pebbledashed east wing. Old tiled roofs, with wave-scalloped barge boards, east and west, moulded oak barge board on north wing, yellow brick chimneys on ridge, one with four, one with two octagonal brick shafts with tall tapered orange pots. Lower red brick chimney with corbelled cap and oversailing course, and two tapered pots, on north wing.

EXTERIOR: two storeys. The nucleus of the building is a three bay cottage with C18 brickwork and steeply pitched roof, with two small casement windows on first floor, and mullion and transom casements on ground floor, with early C20 projecting gable porch in centre. At right (east) a single-storey projection, reworked in cottage ornee style early/mid C19, with gabled loggia on east, with four oak columns, and arcade with fretted fascia, plastered spandrel above two recessed ground floor windows, both two-light casements, with lattice glazing and triangular Gothick heads.

North wing, early C20, gabled, with exposed oak studwork on first floor and in gable, embattled tie beam, infill herringbone brick nogging, oak fascia to bressumer, jettied over brick ground floor. Two-light wood casement with divided glazing, moulded architrave surround and moulded sill, on first floor, and Yorkshire sash window on ground floor. First floor to west elevation has two mullion and transom windows, with four-light square opening casements, with lattice glazing in large square panes; ground floor has similar three-light window at right, and C20 projecting flat-roofed bay at left.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

This building appears to have been of utilitarian origin, but altered and partly disguised as an eye catcher in early/mid C19, and again early C20, when the nearby sunken garden (qv) was constructed.

Listing NGR: TL3346111857