Ash Copse Cottage

HERRIARD

289/0/10054 Ash Copse Cottage 10-OCT-01

II

Small house, formerly pair of cottages. Circa C17 or earlier; extended circa early C18 and C19. Timber-framed, partly tile-hung and Flemish bond red brick; extended in English bond red and blue brick. Clay plain tile roof with half-hipped and hipped ends. Red brick axial stacks. PLAN: 4 bays [centre two rooms now one]; timber-framed left [SW] two bays, extended in brick at NE end by two rooms with a central axial stack and lobby entrance. In C19 a weatherboarded outshut was built on the SE front of the SW end. EXTERIOR: 1 storey and attic. Asymmetrical 4-bay SE front; two 2-light casements with glazing bars on ground floor to right and small stair window under eaves between; C20 French casement and weatherboarded outshut on left; three gabled dormers with 2-light multi-pane casements. Rear [NW] has four similar dormers, doorway on left and three C19 2-light multi-pane casements on right; similar C19 casements at either end. INTERIOR: Left [SW] room has unchamfered axial beam and unchamfered joists, Central room [originally two rooms] has chamfered cross-beam with cyma stops and unchamfered joists, and redundant mortices in headbeam to former partition. Right-hand [NE] room has large unchamfered axial joists. Attic chambers with exposed cambered tie-beam queen-post trusses on slightly jowled posts, exposed purlins and straight wind-braces. Over centre common-rafter couples, two appear to be smoke-blackened; ridge-board at SW end. Ash Copse Cottage is an interesting multi-phase small timber-frame and brick house dating from the C17 or earlier.