North Cottage Widows Nest

North Cottage, Widows Nest is a house dating from the 16th century, with an early 20th century one-storey addition to the east. At the time of the survey in June 1987, it was undergoing renovation. This building features a two-cell addition to the parlour end of the range to the south, which may have served as a shop or workshop. It is timber framed and plastered, with a pantiled roof and stands two storeys high. The windows are casements from 1987, and the door was removed during the survey.

There is a 18th century stack against the north gable end, and the structure retains an intact two-bay frame with some closely spaced studding. The corners feature reverse-curved braces. One original first floor window has chamfered mullions. In the northwest corner of the south bay, there is part of an arched external doorway. The gable end facing the road has a jettied upper floor and a further jetty to the gable, with all supporting brackets and drop finials at the foot of the gable still intact.

This end shows evidence of a projecting first floor window with chamfered mullions and a large ground floor window, although the frame of the ground floor window no longer exists. The upper floor's former outside gable end wall displays 17th century stippled plasterwork with a well-preserved pargetted design. Quoining surrounds the window, with large flowerheads on each side and a shield below the window bearing the initials 'BA'. The plain floor joists in both cells include an unchamfered axial bridging beam in the southern cell, which is set off-centre. There is evidence of a stairtrap in the north cell, now blocked, and no evidence for original heating. The roof features a single row of clasped purlins with curved wind braces.