Wat Tylers Cottage

Wat Tyler's Cottage

House, probably of late 15th-century origins, partly remodelled in the early 17th century, with rear additions of the 18th and late 20th centuries. Framed construction with the right (west) end of the main block underbuilt in brick and the first floor tile hung. Peg-tile roofs with brick stacks.

The house faces north. The main block originated as a late medieval open hall house, probably of Wealden type, with jettied storeyed ends and a 2-bay open hall in the centre with 2 unequal bays, the right (west) end bay being larger. The original entrance position is unclear but was probably a cross passage within the hall at the east end. In the early 17th century a stack was inserted, probably into the passage, and the hall was floored with a jettied upper storey, creating a lobby entrance arrangement against the stack with a heated parlour at the left (east) end. An unheated rear left wing was added later, probably in the 18th century, and in the 20th century a rear right wing was added. The ground floor partition between the 2 right-hand rooms has been removed.

The building is 2 storeys and attic. The roof is hipped with sprocketted eaves at the left end and half-hipped at the right end. There is an axial stack with a probably 19th-century brick shaft and a 19th-century right end stack. Close-studded framing is used throughout, most of the ground floor timbers being replacements, with a continuous jetty featuring a richly-moulded fascia. The jetty returns at the left end with a massive curved bracket with roll-moulding. A moulded fascia board below the eaves extends across the centre of the house only. The front is asymmetrical with 4 windows. The probably 17th-century front door of overlapping planks serves the lobby entrance to the left of centre, set in a 17th-century square-headed deeply-moulded frame with large, worn bar stops. To the right of the front door the top and moulded cornice of a former 17th-century ground floor oriel or bay window survives, with a flush 4-light casement below with diamond leaded panes. The other windows—4 on the first floor and the 2 outer ground floor windows—are similar 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-light casements, some preserving handmade window furniture and one on the first floor with a quadrant catch. Two gabled attic dormers contain similar casements. The left (east) return of the main block has one first-floor and one ground-floor similar window, plus a blocked 2-light ground floor mullioned window. The right return has casement windows with glazing bars, including a bay window to the wing.

Interior

The roof timbers and internal carpentry of the late medieval phase are largely intact. On the ground floor this includes a chamfered step-stopped axial beam and exposed joists to the right-hand room. The left-hand room has a dragon beam and exposed joists. A crossbeam adjacent to the inserted stack is chamfered and step-stopped above a former doorway from the putative passage into the room, which has been subdivided axially at some period, though not necessarily in the medieval phase. The fireplace is probably 17th century but could be later, with a scroll-stopped lintel and brick jambs. A trimmer in the outer rear corner of the room probably indicates the position of a former stair. The 17th-century hall has a massive axial beam and chamfered stopped joists, which also appear in the lobby. The open fireplace has a scroll-stopped lintel and brick jambs. The first-floor rooms also preserve exposed carpentry, although some is boxed in behind later plaster. The wall-framing is intact with massive flared jowls to the wall posts. The tie beams have short arched braces to the posts, some of which are missing.

The roof employs crown post construction. The late medieval hall crown post is square in section with chamfers, stops, a moulded base and 2-way bracing to the collar purlin, which has been truncated by the inserted stack. The right-hand (west) crown post is plain. The rafters are concealed by later plaster.

This is a very complete example of a late medieval open hall house. It has group value with the converted barn and oasthouse to the north, on the other side of the road.