The Beeches

The Beeches is a cottage dating from the 18th century, with a datestone reading JE/1716 above the front door. It is constructed of coursed ironstone rubble, with a steeply pitched thatched roof and a brick end stack on a stone base. The building has a two-unit plan, consisting of a single storey plus attic.

The front elevation has a two-window range. The entrance, on the right end, features a plank door within a moulded wood frame. Above the door is the datestone. An attic window is a two-light wood casement with a wood lintel. A thatched projection provides a staircase on the left side. A two-light wood mullioned window with a stop-chamfered wood lintel is located on the right. The rear elevation includes a bread oven bulge on the left, covered by a continuous thatched roof. It also has a two-light wood casement, a stone lintel, a 20th-century door and window with a wood lintel, and two half-dormers containing two-light metal casements in wood frames. Original wrought-iron casement fasteners and wood lintels are present.

Inside, the original two-unit plan remains, comprising a kitchen, parlour, and pantry. The inglenook fireplace features a bread oven and a chamfered bressumer. A wood spiral staircase, accessible through a plank door, is also present, alongside a stop-chamfered beam. The datestone likely refers to John Edwards, a village mason who married in 1716; his father owned The Bell Inn, Shenington. The Beeches is a significant dated example of a vernacular dwelling, preserving its original plan and interior details. It was formerly known as Homestead Cottage.