Tips Cross Cottage

HILDENBOROUGH PHILPOTS LANE (north side) ) TQ 54 NW 4/185 Tips Cross Cottage - II

House, formerly 2 cottages. Probably C17 in origin but altered in the C19 and late C20. Flemish bond brick with blue headers to the ground floor, tile-hung above. The rear elevation of the east crosswing is weatherboarded to the ground floor and framed construction above; peg-tile roof; brick stacks.

Plan and Development: The house faces south south east, say south. Overall L plan, the main range originally 2 rooms wide (partition removed) with an outshut. The larger left hand room is heated from a projecting stack in the left (west) end, with a smaller unheated room to the right. The crosswing, which has an axial stack is of 2 phases, the rear (north) section, beyond the stack, with a lower roofline and a C20 outshut along the outer (east) wall. C19 and C20 alterations have obscured much of the original arrangement. The main range appears to have been largely rebuilt in the C19 and the framed partition at the junction with the crosswing suggests that the 2 blocks may have functioned as separate cottages at an early date. The crosswing has some C17 features - a jettied gable and open fireplace, but much of the carpentry has been replaced.

Exterior: Attractive exterior, facing on to Philpots Lane. Asymmetrical 2:2 window front, the crosswing to the right with a jettied, tile-hung gable on curved brackets. Roof gabled at the left end of the main range, half-hipped at the end of the wing. The main range has a C20 front door and gabled porch to right of centre into the unheated room. 1-, 2- and 3-light C20 casement windows with diamond leaded panes. The gable of the crosswing with a pretty arched 1-light C19 window. On the rear elevation the roof is carried down as a catslide to the outshut.

Interior: Plain carpentry detail to the front (south) room of the crosswing, which has an open fireplace of handmade brick with an oak lintel on to which is tacked a timber plaque with the date 1621, not necessarily in situ. Plain exposed carpentry to the main range.

Roof: Not inspected but may be of interest. Old roof timbers said to survive.

Listing NGR: TQ5427548613