Hazel Hill Cottage

Hazel Hill Cottage

Small house built circa 1400, partly rebuilt in the late 15th century and remodelled in the early 17th century and early to mid 19th century. The building is timber-framed with the frame exposed on the west front. The remainder of the house is faced in Flemish bond red brick with blue headers on a stone rubble plinth. The end gables are tile-hung. The roof is steeply pitched with peg tiles and half-hipped ends. There is a brick axial stack to the left (north) of centre with a rebuilt brick shaft.

The building stands on a north-south axis facing west. Its present plan results from early 17th century remodelling and early to mid 19th century reduction of a medieval aisled hall. The north service end has been demolished, but the hall, aisles and parlour or solar probably survive. The parlour occupies the right (south) end bay, which was probably an end aisle originally open to the roof. In the late 15th century, while the hall remained open, the south aisle wall was rebuilt. During the early 17th century, extensive remodelling took place: the hall was floored, an axial stack was built at the lower end with back-to-back fireplaces serving both the hall and the north service end (which was converted into a parlour at the same time). The original parlour in the putative end aisle probably remained open to the roof. The arcade posts (except those in the partition at the high end of the hall) were removed and the roof was reconstructed, with arcade plates reset at a lower level but reusing the original rafters. Around the first half of the 19th century, the north service end was demolished, leaving only a narrow bay north of the stack for use as a pantry. The walls (except the south wall) were rebuilt in brick, and what was probably the end aisle may have been floored. A partition now divides the end aisle, and partitions at the lower end of the hall create a kitchen in the north west corner, though the axial partition dividing the hall is likely 20th century.

The exterior presents one storey and attic. The asymmetrical west front shows mostly exposed timber framing but with brick to right and left. To the right of centre, between large wall-posts, stands a late 15th century full-height two-light hall window with mullion and transom featuring renewed diamond mullions. To the left is some vertical studding and a 20th century ovolo-moulded four-light window with a 20th century glazed door at the entrance on the left. The rear elevation facing east has a 20th century three-light casement at centre and a similar single-light casement to the right, both with glazing bars. A late 19th or early 20th century gabled and tile-hung dormer stands at centre. The north end has a tile-hung gable, a 20th century door to the left, and 20th century two-light casements on ground and first floor. The south end also has a tile-hung gable and 20th century casements.

Much early carpentry is exposed inside, though most joinery appears to be 19th and 20th century. The late 15th century hall window in the west wall was not originally glazed and has what appear to be grooves for shutters. The former hall features an early 17th century ovolo-moulded axial beam with run-out stops and channelled soffit. The brick stack at the lower end of the hall has back-to-back fireplaces with cambered chamfered timber lintels, the chamfer returned into brick jambs which have been rebuilt. The original closed truss at the high end of the hall has arcade posts, central stud and cavetto-moulded dais beam, all grooved on the east side for a plank partition which has been removed. Large curved braces in the partition rise to a tie-beam into which they are morticed. The tie-beam has seatings for rafters. The arcade plates have been reset at a much lower level and may have been reused from another building. The original roof was reconstructed in the early 17th century with side purlins clasped above the collars but reusing earlier large smoke-blackened rafters, some halved for collars.