Aldersyde, The Cottage And Adjoining Cottage

Aldersyde, The Cottage, and the adjoining cottage to the north are three cottages that were originally one dwelling. They date back to the 16th century and were built in several phases, with later alterations. The buildings are timber framed and plastered, featuring old panelled plasterwork on the front and a pantiled roof. They are two storeys high and form a single long range with a continuous jetty at the road frontage.

There are five windows, mostly 18th century three-light casements. To the far right, there is a 19th century plastered and gabled one-storey addition with an old four-light window. In the centre of the range, there is a canted small-paned former shop window dating to around 1800. Aldersyde has a 19th century four-panel door, The Cottage features a 19th century four-panel raised and fielded door, and the right-hand cottage has a 20th century door; all doors are accessed by short flights of steps.

Inside, there are two internal stacks, one of which is an 18th century insertion with a cross-axial shaft. The frame consists of seven bays, and there is evidence of extensive remodelling during the 16th century, with the rear wall being older than the rest of the structure. The end bay to the left (bay 1) was originally a carriage entrance, with the upper floor set high; this has been later infilled, featuring a false jetty to match the rest of the building.

Bays 2 and 7 contain one-bay rooms with roll-moulded axial bridging beams and moulded end cornices, while chamfered joists are exposed in bay 2. Bays 4 and 5 form a single cell with roll-moulded cross-beams and cornices. Bay 3 has substantial plain joists, with no evidence of a partition separating it from the adjacent two-bay room. Bay 6 is occupied by the stack. Bay 4 has open trusses on each side, one of which features straight tie beam braces, which is unusual for the 16th century. The studding is of good quality, with reverse-curved braces.

There is evidence of many 16th century windows, including two at the rear with exposed chamfered mullions, and the front wall has sills for two first-floor oriel windows. The Cottage has an open ground floor fireplace with the original lintel. The roof, dating from the 18th century, features two rows of stepped butt purlins.