Priestwood Cottage

Priestwood Cottage is a small house that was formerly part of the Ashurst Park Estate. It has a core dating back to the 17th century, which was refurbished and enlarged in the early 19th century, with some modern updates made in the 20th century. The ground floor is constructed of brick, with the 17th-century section featuring English bond and the 19th-century extensions in Flemish bond, both incorporating burnt headers. Above, the timber framing is covered with peg-tile in the 17th-century section, while the 19th-century section has exposed framing. The house has a brick stack, possibly on a stone base, and a brick chimney shaft, topped by a peg-tile roof.

The layout is an L-plan, facing south, with a three-room arrangement. The left (west) end room is designed like a crosswing that projects slightly forward. An axial stack between the left and centre rooms likely serves back-to-back fireplaces, while the unheated right end room serves as a service area. The current layout reflects the 19th-century modernization of what was originally a two-room plan house from the 17th century. The centre heated room is from the 17th century, and the left end room was likely an unheated service room that was enlarged in the 19th century, possibly with a fireplace added to the back of the old stack. The right end room was also a later addition from the 19th century.

The exterior features an irregular arrangement of windows, with a mix of 19th and 20th-century replacement casements that contain diamond panes of leaded glass. The front doorway, located to the right of centre, has a 19th-century plank door with cover strips. The first floor of the left crosswing jetties out on a moulded timber bressummer, featuring a gable filled with ornamental timber framing, close studding, and curving braces. Below one window is a panel displaying the monogram GF in large letters. The gable has plain bargeboards. The first floor chamber at the right end is also timber framed and jetties forward on a moulded bressummer, with a less ornate gable above. The main roof is hipped on the left side and gable-ended on the right.

The interior was not accessible during the survey, but the owner reports that 17th-century carpentry is visible in the centre of the house.