West Cottage

West Cottage is an 18th-century house, likely dating to the mid-to-late 1700s, with alterations from the 19th century. It is constructed of coursed flint cobble with red brick dressings and has a Roman tile roof with end stacks. The house has a central entrance plan and a later full-length rear outshut. It presents a gable end to the street. The two-storey house includes an attic. The front elevation, facing to the right, features a four-window range at the first floor with 6/6 sash windows in brick surrounds with flat arches. Below are 19th-century canted bays with pentice roofs, flanking a part-glazed front door. A dentil eaves cornice runs along the roofline and there are two flat-roofed dormers with 2/2 sash windows. The right-hand end has an attic window and a small window to the ground floor, set within a blocked former doorway. The rear of the house features a two-window range on each floor, with 2/2 sash windows within the outshut. A single-storey extension is located at the left end, incorporating French windows, a door, a small window, a conservatory, and another small window in the gable.

The interior retains a small winder stair at each gable end, rising from the ground floor to the attic, with access via doors on both floors. There are numerous two-panel doors, primarily with HL hinges, and an open fireplace with a bressumer. Two bedrooms feature early 19th-century fireplace surrounds with mid-19th century cast-iron grates. The roof structure is a softwood staggered butt-purlin roof, with carpenter's marks, and the original collars have been removed.

Historical records suggest the house may have initially been two cottages, one of which served as the residence for the Vicar of Cromer, Rev. Sharp (Vicar of Cromer 1837-52), before the construction of the present Vicarage. Subsequently, it functioned as the first Cromer Cottage Hospital from 1866 to 1888, initially with six beds, expanding to seven in 1874 when a room was added on the ground floor to accommodate accident cases. The hospital provided care for Cromer, Sheringham, and several surrounding villages. In the early 20th century, it appears to have been a schoolmaster's house, described as ‘school cottage’ in 1924. West Cottage is an 18th-century house retaining a relatively unaltered interior and has a notable history, illustrating early hospital provision for a seaside town and its broader community. It forms a pleasing grouping with Holly Cottage next door.