Thatched Cottage at Orchard House

This is a thatched cottage, likely dating from the 17th or 18th century, now serving as a garden feature. It is constructed of stone rubble with brick dressings and some timber framing, and has a thatched roof.

The building is a single-storey rectangular structure with a through passage running beneath a continuous thatched roof. A tall chimney is set into the west slope of the roof. The north gable end has red brick dressings framing the quoins and openings, which include a small window beneath the roof apex, a larger window with diamond-leaded panes, and a door giving access to the room north of the passage. A further door is located in the south wall of the through passage. The through passage itself is timber-framed and arched, with a garden path leading through it.

The north room is unplastered except for the south wall, and features an arched ceiling, a brick fireplace, and brick surrounds to the windows.

Orchard House, originally two 18th century houses (Nos. 67 and 69 High Street), was converted into a single residence in 1904 for Joseph William Mann, a boot and shoe manufacturer. The architect was Alexander Ellis Anderson. An Ordnance Survey map from 1882 depicts Nos. 67 and 69 High Street, soon to become Orchard House, along with garden boundaries and a possible orchard. The Thatched Cottage is shown on this map in its present form, situated against the rear boundary of No. 67 High Street, with a small projection into the garden of No. 65 High Street. After the conversion of the two houses, the gardens extended to West Street, and were later landscaped by Perkin’s Nurseries of Northampton, incorporating the thatched cottage as a prominent feature. The red brick quoins and window surrounds on the north elevation suggest a possible restoration or renovation by AE Anderson, mirroring his work on the rear extensions of Orchard House. The cottage has recently been re-thatched.

The Thatched Cottage at Orchard House is designated at Grade II for its group value with Orchard House (Grade II*), as it is a picturesque building later incorporated into the garden design.