The Cottage

The Cottage

A semi-detached pair of cottages, now combined into a single dwelling, probably constructed by 1835 and certainly by 1843. Grade II listed.

The principal building is rectangular on plan, forming an L-shape with a single-storey 20th-century extension to the south of the front yard. The extension occupies the footprint of an earlier range shown on the 1843 tithe map and subsequent Ordnance Survey maps, but has been largely rebuilt and is of lesser architectural interest. The building is positioned between Ship Lane and Cooks Wharf, oriented towards the latter.

Originally a pair of semi-detached cottages with identical plans, the building now functions as a single dwelling. Each cottage originally contained one room per floor, with fireplaces positioned centrally on the rear wall and a corner staircase adjacent. This plan survives largely unaltered. A single doorway inserted into the party wall connects the two ground-floor rooms, and the original front door to the southernmost cottage now serves as an internal doorway leading into the single-storey extension.

Exterior and Structure

The principal building has two storeys plus an attic floor beneath a gambrel roof. Walls are constructed from red brick laid in Flemish bond, with limewashing at ground-floor level to the west elevation. The front elevation faces west towards Cooks Wharf, overlooking a small yard. It features two windows per floor: pairs of six-over-six sashes to the ground and first floors with projecting sills, and a pair of three-over-six sashes in raking dormers to the attic floor. All windows have narrow, moulded glazing bars. The ground-floor windows are set beneath cambered brick arches, whilst first-floor windows have timber lintels with a simple brick dentil cornice above. The front door, which originally served only the north cottage, is positioned between the two ground-floor windows and is sheltered by a tiled gablet of timber supported on timber brackets. The door is four-panelled.

The side and rear elevations are blind. Both north and south side elevations have brickwork rendered with black limewash. The rear elevation to Ship Lane features a simple brick dentil cornice interrupted by two brick chimney stacks that rise above the height of the roof ridge, each with a single string course of brick towards the top. The base of this elevation has a batter of five or six stepped courses of brick. The south slope of the roof is half-hipped; the north end is gabled and hung with natural slate. Kent peg tiles cover the remainder of the roof.

The south elevation has a stone plinth that continues halfway across the single-storey extension. The extension has rendered external walls, probably concrete, and a mono-pitched roof covered with tiles. It features a single door and three casement windows to its north elevation.

Interior

The principal building contains two rooms per floor. Each room has a single window to its west wall and, to its east wall, a fireplace flanked by a cupboard and a doorway to the staircase.

The south ground-floor room has simple timber panelling up to the moulded dado. The fireplace is boxed-in, but a panel above the mantel-shelf is exposed, revealing a stack of red brick laid in English bond and a segmental arch of brick beneath a timber lintel. The north ground-floor room has a moulded dado rail and skirting. It contains a cast iron fireplace with blue tiles and a timber mantel-shelf supported by moulded consoles. Both ground-floor rooms retain original doors and panelling to the cupboards either side of the fireplaces, and matching doors leading to the adjacent winder staircases.

The first-floor bedrooms each have a canted partition wall with a doorway inserted in front of the respective staircases to create a landing. Originally each flight of stairs would have had doors at the top and bottom that opened straight into each room with no landing. Timber panelling around the doors to both staircases survives at this level. The south first-floor room has a moulded timber chimneypiece, though the fireplace has been boxed in. The north first-floor room has an arched cast iron fireplace with floral mouldings, a tiled surround, and a moulded timber chimneypiece. Both first-floor rooms have simple moulded dado rails and skirting boards and an in-built cupboard to the north of each fireplace.

The doorway at the top of the south staircase opens straight into an attic bedroom. This room has a timber fire surround and a cast iron fireplace to one side of the door. On the other side of the fireplace is an in-built cupboard. The north attic bedroom was not inspected.

The 20th-century single-storey extension is accessed internally via what would have been the original front door for the southernmost cottage. The extension contains a kitchen, bathroom, and toilet, all modern in character.

Boundary Wall

Extending from the north end of the rear elevation is a boundary wall of red brick laid in Flemish bond, topped with a row lock course. The wall extends along Ship Lane approximately to where the edge of a group of three other tenements previously stood to the north of The Cottage. The southern part of the top of the wall has been built up with concrete blocks at a later date, and the northern part is topped with corrugated metal which forms the rear wall of an adjacent industrial building.