Primrose Cottage And Tudor Beams

Primrose Cottage and Tudor Beams

A pair of timber-framed, thatched cottages, probably built in the 18th century.

The building consists of timber-framed, rendered walls beneath a thatched roof which sweeps down to ground floor level, finished with a scalloped ridge and a central red-brick ridge stack. Late 20th-century brick extensions, mostly rendered with tile-covered roofs, have been added to the sides and rear. The structure is one storey plus attic, arranged in a long rectangular plan divided into four irregular bays.

The exterior displays predominantly horizontal fenestration with 20th-century timber or metal casements. A modern flat-roofed dormer occupies the second bay, whilst the third bay features a gabled dormer. The rear elevation contains a gabled dormer to the left of the chimney stack and a flat-roofed dormer-like projection to the right which houses a cupboard. A modern red-brick entrance porch stands on the south gable end, and a gabled, thatched entrance porch is located in the fourth bay.

Both cottages retain their basic two-unit plan internally, with late 20th-century extensions providing additional accommodation to the sides and rear. In Primrose Cottage, three studs remain visible in the north party wall at attic level. Both the front and rear wall plates survive, though the rear plate is interrupted by a staircase insertion. The original rafters, of consistent scantling, and wattle and daub panels have been preserved except where the front dormer and rear cupboard have been inserted. It is less clear to what extent the front, rear and cross frames have survived.

Tudor Beams Cottage displays much more extensive survival of its timber framing. The front and rear frame, north cross frame, and ground-floor bay division are all intact. The east sill beam and north-east and north-west wall posts are exposed, though other wall posts and the west sill beam are not visible. In the floor frame, the bridging beam has been reinforced with steel and some joists have been replaced; some joists retain roll mouldings which may have been carved after initial construction. The roof rafters and purlins survive except where interrupted by dormer insertions on the east and west sides. Wall plates and the north gable end are exposed, though the south gable end is mostly obscured by the brick smoke hood. The roof apex has been covered over.

The building predates 1771, as evidenced by mention in a title deed from that year, and is likely to have been constructed in the 18th century. It is unclear whether it was originally built as a single dwelling or two cottages, but the Ordnance Survey map of 1885 shows it as two dwellings, suggesting it was constructed as a pair of two-unit cottages of one storey plus attic, sharing a central chimney.

Primrose Cottage was significantly altered in 1970, when a single-storey extension was added to the rear to provide three additional rooms. A porch was built onto the south gable end, and a straight flight of stairs was inserted between the two front rooms, cutting into the rafters on the west pitch. The bridging beam and joists are modern replicas. The fireplace and doors have been replaced, and all windows are 20th-century timber or metal casements.

Tudor Beams Cottage was extended in the late 1970s and 1980s with the addition of an entrance porch and single-storey extensions to the side and rear. The main beam in the front south room is steel encased in wood. The fireplace has been rebuilt and all doors and windows replaced.

The late 20th-century extensions to the sides and rear do not contribute to the special architectural and historical interest of the cottages.