No 4 Loose Farm Cottages

No 4 Loose Farm Cottages

A semi-detached farm cottage of 17th-century origins, formerly a farmhouse. The building is constructed with an oak timber frame, with replacement brick at ground-floor level except at the rear and south-west where 21st-century brick is used. The first floor is clad in hung clay tiles, except at the rear where a catslide roof extends down to ground level. The roof is covered in clay tiles with brick chimney stacks. Windows are multi-light timber or uPVC casements, predominantly of 20th or 21st-century date.

The cottage is three bays wide, running broadly north-east to south-west. The two north-eastern bays remain within the original timber frame, whilst the third bay to the south-west is a 21st-century kitchen extension. The principal north-west elevation is hipped at the south-west end over the extension. A main chimney stack is shared with the adjoining property to the north-east, with an entrance lobby to its west. A second stack projects from the ridge at the south-west. The rear features a single-storey 21st-century extension beneath an extended catslide roof, housing a 20th-century stair and cellar access. Further rear extension dates from 2017 and is of single-storey brick construction.

The principal elevation comprises four bays with the entrance door at the north-east end and three bays with multi-pane casement windows to both storeys to the south-west. The door is planked and probably 19th-century with a later diamond-shaped opening. Side elevations of the original house are obscured by the adjoining property and 21st-century extension.

Internally, two original principal ground-floor rooms survive with their historic plan. The north-eastern room contains a large spine beam with scroll stops; its fireplace opening to the main stack has been filled with an early 20th-century tiled surround. The south-western principal room features plaster finish including a bowed ceiling showing the uneven character of historic materials and workmanship, and also has a spine beam with scroll stops. Its fireplace has a late 20th-century brick fire-surround. The rear wall of the timber frame is visible within the single-storey outshut area. A stone stair descends to a brick-lined cellar with replacement timber floor joists, whilst a late 20th-century timber stair ascends against the rear wall, penetrating the timber frame at first-floor level.

The substantial timber frame is exposed at first-floor level and infilled with plaster. Visible tension-braces, jowl posts and a double wall plate suggest the eaves have been raised at some time. The two original first-floor rooms have been subdivided: the north-eastern space is now two bedrooms divided along the spine beam length; the northernmost room contains an alcove above the entrance lobby below, beside the narrowing body of the main stack, and shows indication of a possible earlier window opening on the southern end of the north-western wall. The south-western room has been divided to provide passage access to the 21st-century extension.

The attic space is fitted for living accommodation with five skylights to the rear elevation. The pegged roof structure comprises large coupled rafters with collars to the principals and purlins to the south-west; the north-east part has a later structure of supporting braces beneath 21st-century plasterboard and structural additions.