The Keeper'S Cottage

The Keeper’s Cottage is an early 16th-century hall house, altered in the 17th and 20th centuries. It’s constructed of a timber frame with red brick infill, with some painted render at the rear, and has an old tile gabled roof, half-hipped on the right side. The building has a rectangular plan of three framed bays, with the centre forming the former hall, and a crosswing extending from two framed bays. A single-bay stair turret is located at the rear.

The exterior is two storeys high. A large chimney is located at the left end, and a ridge chimney with three coupled shafts is situated to the right of the centre. Early 20th-century metal casement windows with diamond leaded lights are present, although some may be older. The south-facing front is irregular, featuring a single-bay gable on the left with four-light windows. To the right, there are two three-light windows on each floor, with a plain wooden door and a flat hood between the two ground floor windows.

Inside, much of the timber frame is exposed. Jowled principal posts are visible, along with queen posts and redundant crown post roof trusses – some sooted rafters remain over the former hall. The ground floor joists are chamfered with shield stops; one principal joist has roll moulding. A 17th-century newel stair is found within the stair turret, and an inglenook chimney is also present.