5, Bird-In-Hand Street

A cottage, likely dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, with minor alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. The construction is timber-framed, resting on coursed sandstone footings. The frame is largely hung with peg tiles, but the lower section is weatherboarded. A brick stack and chimneyshaft are present, and the roof is covered in peg tiles.

The house originally comprised a two-room plan, facing northeast. The main entrance leads directly into the larger room on the left (southeast), which features a projecting gable-end stack. A smaller, unheated service room is located to the right. The building is two storeys high, with secondary rear extensions.

The front elevation is irregular, displaying 19th and 20th-century windows, some of which may retain older frames. These windows contain iron-framed casements with diamond panes of leaded glass. A window on the ground floor to the right (originally the service room) curves around the cornerpost, suggesting it was once a shop window. A doorway, with a couple of stone steps leading up to it, contains a plank door, likely dating from the 19th century. The roof is gable-ended.

The ground floor was the only accessible area for inspection. The fireplace is blocked by a 20th-century grate, and both rooms feature plain axial joists.

This small, attractive cottage forms part of a group of well-preserved estate houses linked to Groombridge Place, which contribute to the character of Old Groombridge.