The Cottages

The Cottages comprise three cottages, originally a single house, located on Maresfield High Street, Nutley. The core of the building dates to the early 17th century, with a substantial refronting in the early 19th century, likely during its conversion into cottages. Further refenestration occurred in the mid-20th century, and in the 1970s, a single-bay extension was added to each end, which is not considered to be of special architectural or historical interest.

The building is timber-framed and now has a red brick façade with grey headers. It features a tiled roof and three brick chimneystacks. The windows are a mix of metal casements (in Numbers 1 and 2), wooden casements (in Number 3), and a C20 front door. The rear elevation incorporates parts of an outshut, a 19th-century brick outbuilding, and some 20th-century extensions.

Internally, much of the original timber frame is visible, showcasing jowled posts, wall framing with wattle and daub and lath and plaster, and an angled queenstrut roof with pegged rafters, indicating the outline of a former hipped roof with a gablet. The central room of the original three-bay house contains an open fireplace with a wooden bressumer featuring a carved “M” (thought to be a protection against evil spirits), an opening to a bread oven, and a cast-iron crane. A chamfered spine beam with lambs tongue stops is present, along with similar floor joists. The original left-end bay retains a similar spine beam and an early 19th-century brick floor. On the first floor, the central bay’s bedroom has an early 17th-century wooden bressumer, brickwork, old floorboards, and an old doorframe. Vestiges of a diamond mullioned window are visible on the former rear wall. The interior of Number 3 was not inspected.