Staplens Cottage

Staplens Cottage is a house that likely dates from the early to mid-16th century, with alterations made in the 17th century and late 20th century. It features a timber frame with wattle and daub infill, covered in painted brick, and has a plain tile roof with a painted brick stack. The cottage is one and a half storeys tall and consists of two bays, with the left bay being slightly narrower. Both bays were originally open to the roof, but a floor was inserted in the 17th century. There is an additional one-storey bay on the right side.

The windows are mostly late 20th century imitation-leaded uPVC, primarily two-light casements. A central late 20th century porch with a plank door is flanked by windows with cambered brick arches, and there are two gabled dormers above. The wall post is exposed at the right corner, and there is one window in the added section. An external stack is located at the left end, featuring offsets and a metal hatch door. The left return has a small window on each floor to the left of the stack, along with an exposed tie-beam and collar.

At the rear, there is a late 20th century door leading to an open cabled porch, with a three-light window to the right and two-light windows on each floor, including one in the gabled dormer. Further to the left is an outshut with a stack rising beside the dormer. Inside, there is evidence of an original partition wall between the bays on both floors, with the arched head of a former doorway visible on the ground floor at the front end. The framing is particularly well-preserved on the first floor, featuring large scantling jowelled wall posts that are arch-braced to chamfered, cambered tie beams, wall plates, collared trusses, arched wind braces, through purlins, and sooted rafters. The original right-hand gable apex has wattle and daub on the external side that is un-limewashed, possibly indicating that there was always another building against this end. The upper floor is a 17th-century insertion, which includes chamfered spine beams with lamb's tongue stops and slight chamfers on some joists. There is a large fireplace with a timber bressumer on the ground floor at the left end.