Swingle Swangle Cottages

A row of four cottages, originally almshouses, likely dating from the early 19th century, with some 20th-century alterations. The cottages are built of English and Flemish bond brick, with plastered dressings imitating stone, and have a slate roof and brick stacks.

The cottages face northeast along Brenchley Road. The outer cottages have doors to the right, while the two central cottages share a doorway. The left-hand (south) cottage has a separately-roofed design with a wider span and an axial stack. The rest of the range has two axial stacks, one featuring a corbelled brick cornice. The interior was not inspected, and the original layout is unclear.

The exterior is two storeys and has an asymmetrical 5-window front. Attractive plasterwork remains on the door surrounds, with rendered jambs, plastered lintels imitating stone voussoirs, and incised panels with imitation keystones and rusticated ornament. Original ground-floor windows retain similar decoration, including shouldered architraves, sill brackets. First-floor windows have eared, shouldered architraves. The left-hand block uses Flemish bond brick with imitation quoins in plaster where it abuts the adjacent block. A 20th-century replacement door is located on the left, while the two central doors are 19th-century panelled. A plank door is on the right. Three original 16-pane 19th-century sash windows remain on the ground floor; two have been replaced by a 20th-century bow window and a 20th-century bay window. Five first-floor windows are original 16-pane 19th-century sashes.

The interior was not inspected.

Despite the unfortunate replacement of some windows, sufficient original exterior detail survives. The cottages have group value with Walnut Tree Cottage and the Chapel on the opposite side of the road.