Cromwell Cottage

House, dating from circa 1615, with 20th-century alterations. It is constructed of squared, coursed ironstone with finely jointed details. The roof is steeply pitched, tiled, with stone-coped gables, and has stone ridge and end stacks. The building follows a three-unit through-passage plan with a rear extension to the left, and has one and two storeys. The main façade has a four-window arrangement. The left-hand entrance has a cambered arched stone head with a hood mould and diamond-shaped label stops, and contains a plank door. This entrance is flanked by three-light stone mullioned windows with ovolo sections, hood moulds, and label stops. A similar window is positioned to the right, with a three-light flat splay cellar mullion below. The first attic floor has two-, three-, and four-light stone mullioned windows with hood moulds and label stops. The left gable has 20th-century windows. The interior is reputed to contain a kitchen, hall, and parlour, with a through passage flanked by walls approximately 2 feet thick. Fireplaces feature moulded stone arches or four-centred heads in the kitchen, hall, and bedrooms. There are two winder staircases, one with nine steps constructed in stone. Three dividing walls have been removed to the roof level, eliminating the need for principal rafters. The structure includes stop-chamfered spine beams. Local tradition suggests that Oliver Cromwell lodged here during the Civil Wars. This is a notable example of a small house, displaying architectural and structural detail comparable to that found in lesser manor houses of the period. The interior is not inspected, and the building’s setting is not described.