Westwick Cottage

TL 00 NE 270/8/314 19.10.53

ST MICHAEL WESTWICK ROW (South West side) Westwick Cottage

II*

House, formerly sub-divided into cottages, incorporating substantial parts of an early medieval open hall house. Earliest part dated to between 1184 and 1219 by dendrochronological analysis, with C16 and C17 alterations and extensions, sub-divided late C19 and restored to single dwelling form post 1946. Timber-framed construction, with later brick infill and casing. Deep brick ridge stack at stepped junction of roof line. Plain tile roof covering. PLAN: Linear plan, reflecting alternate re-building, the central part formed from the remains of a 2-bay aisled hall, with a 2-bay parlour range of 2 phases attached to the west end. FRONT (south) ELEVATION: Stepped 2 storey range of 5 bays, with C20 kitchen extension at east end. Taller part to left with low gable stack, and small-paned 2-light casements to both floors. Lower range including, and to right of central stack with similar casements of 1, 2 and 3 lights. Doorway with planked door to right of centre. REAR (north) ELEVATION: similarly detailed to front, but with lean to outshut to central bay of lower part, with doorway in west cheek. To the left of the outshut, a doorway with C20 half-glazed door. To the right of the ground-floor window immediately to the right of the outshot is a former arcade post of the open hall, ( now a post in the external frame) with visible remnants of the carved decoration to the capital. INTERIOR: Much exposed framing, including former arcade post now enclosed within later outshut to rear. Substantial chamfered ceiling beams, and, in an upper floor partition wall, the exposed upper ends of the passing braces forming part of the central truss of the former open hall, smoke- blackened on exposed faces. Back-to-back hearths set beneath chamfered bressumers within the central stack. Clasped purlin roof structure with heavy purlins and some curved wind braces. HISTORY: Tree ring analysis carried out by the University of Nottingham in 1997 produced a single site chronology of 240 years for the timbers of the former open hall, from which a felling date for the timbers of between 1184 and 1219 is suggested. An historical analysis of the building suggests that the earliest phase comprised a 2-bay aisled open hall, with additional bays at each end. In the C17, the house was enlarged at the west end, and a chimney stack inserted in the west end bay of the earlier house.

A complex, multi-phased timber-framed building containing the substantial remains of an early medieval aisled hall, the early date of which has been validated by dendrochronological sampling.

Listing NGR: TL0915706631