Den Cottages

The property comprises a pair of houses, originally a single house, dating to the late 16th or early 17th century, with later 17th-century alterations and 19th and 20th-century additions. It is timber-framed with some earlier elements possibly present. The ground floor is constructed of red and grey brick to the left end, with an exposed principal post to the left of the stack, and the rest in a Flemish bond. The first floor is weatherboarded, while the right-hand addition is rendered. The roof is tiled. Originally three bays, the right-hand bay is longer. A slightly later 17th-century stair turret is located behind the stack. A small 20th-century addition extends to the right.

The south elevation has a half-hipped roof to the left (west), with the roof of the addition continuing the eaves and ridge line of the main range, and a gable to the right featuring moulded bargeboards. There is a multiple red and grey brick ridge stack to the left end of the central bay, and a projecting red and grey brick stack to the right gable end of the addition. The windows are irregular with a small four-paned casement under the left stack, a two-light casement to the right bay, and no windows to the left and right extensions. Boarded doors are located at the left end (leading to No. 2) and the right end of the right bay (leading to No. 1), each with a small gabled weatherboarded and plain-tiled canopy on posts. A gabled two-storey rear wing extends to the left, with brick on the ground floor and tile hanging above. A narrow, two-storey rear stair turret, weatherboarded with a hipped plain tile roof, adjoins the left wing.

Inside, the ground floor has chamfered axial beams and joists to the right timber-framed bay, along with gunstock-jowled posts. The left bay’s first floor features chamfered axial beams and unbevelled joists. There are mortices for a partition behind the stack, and the central bay's first floor contains a stack and cross joists tenoned into an axial joist, with a stave partition angled towards the central bay, suggesting a former smoke bay or firehood. The central and right bays are well-ceiled above the tie-beam level. The 17th-century stair turret contains a closed-string dog-leg staircase with a moulded string and newels with domed finials, and an edge-halved wall-plate scarf joint. The roof was not inspected. The property contains 19th-century fireplace surrounds and boarded doors.