Cottages To The Ne Of Westleton Grange

These are two cottages located to the northeast of Westleton Grange, likely originally built as a single house in the late 17th century. They were refaced and altered in the early 19th century. The cottages feature red brick refacing or underbuilding of timber-framing, topped with a pantile roof and brick central ridge and end stacks. They are single storey with an attic and were probably designed with a three-unit plan initially.

The front facing the road has a two-window range of 20th-century wooden mullion and transom casements beneath brick segmental lintels, along with two 20th-century three-light Lincolnshire dormers above. There are lean-tos and additional casements at either end, with a difference in brickwork on the gable end of the right-hand cottage indicating that the gable was extended before the lean-to was added. The rear features a door and two three-light casements, with the door to the right-hand cottage located in the lean-to and the original doorway blocked.

Inside, only the left-hand cottage was inspected. The ground floor includes bridging beams and joists that are all chamfered with ogee stops. There is an open fireplace with a bressumer, now fitted with a smaller later insert, and a large stack. A small straight stair leads to the attic, featuring a simple top balustrade. Original roof rafters with cross bracing are visible up to collar level, with the roof ceiled above. The rafters rest on the remaining wall-plates and a few studs, and the gable end tie beam is also visible, although the dormers may have been enlarged. Plank doors are present.

This building is a notable example of the transformation from a late 17th-century house to early 19th-century cottages for agricultural workers. Much of the original structure remains intact, including the fine chamfered beams and joists seen in the inspected part, suggesting similar features likely exist in the other half. The continuous steeply pitched roof indicates that the original roof structure has probably been preserved as well. The evolution from the original timber-framed house through its division and the refacing and underbuilding in the early 19th century shows minimal alteration since then.