Birds Cottage

Birds Cottage is a house that dates back to the 14th century or earlier, with alterations and extensions made in the 17th and 19th centuries. It is timber framed, mostly covered in 19th-century brick, although some timber framing is still visible at the north end, with brick and plaster infill. The upper part of the roof is thatched, hipped at the south end and half hipped at the north end, while the lower part is tiled. There is a central brick chimney and another chimney at the south end of the east elevation.

The house has two three-light 19th-century gabled dormers on each side, with the west elevation featuring fretted bargeboards and patterned brick gables. It is 1½ storeys high and has a four-bay plan, with the three northern bays being medieval and the southern bay dating from the 17th century. The west elevation includes a one-storey lean-to and gabled additions at the north end, which are part tiled and part slated. The central door is flanked by a two-light casement on the right and a three-light casement on the far right. The south gable has a three-light upper casement and a nine-paned fixed sash to the right on the ground floor. The east elevation features two three-light casements and a door to the right. The north gable has a three-light casement on the ground floor and two two-light upper casements.

Inside, the central two bays were formerly an open hall and feature a complete base cruck central truss, with chamfered blades and grooved soffits, and massive braces supporting the arcade plates, which are in turn supported by brackets on the north truss. The 14th-century north bay has similar plates and curved braces to the posts in the north wall. The roof has a crown post over the central truss, with an upward brace to the collar purlin and a downward brace to the tie beam. The original collars and rafters show heavy smoke blackening, which is also visible on the underside of the thatch. A 17th-century central chimney stack was inserted, and there are early 19th-century interior fittings, including a fireplace in the south room and a complete small office for a building business, which features a fireplace, panelled cupboards, shelves, and a leaded internal window.