1-6 Kinecroft

This terrace of six cottages retains mid-17th century timber framing, though the front was refaced around 1900. Extensions have been added at the rear at various stages over the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

The construction is box-framed timber with wattle-and-daub infill and brick and rubblestone chimney stacks. The principal north-facing frontage is rendered brick with applied decorative timbers. The entire range has a pegged clay-tile roof, except for the later 20th-century extensions.

Plan

The terrace runs east-west along Kinecroft with extensions projecting southward to the rear. Most cottages originally had a simple single-cell ground floor with an attic storey above, which remains legible despite later extensions cutting through the rear walls. Each cottage is now one room-bay wide, except number 2 which has a double-bay plan.

Exterior

The principal street elevation dates from the refronting work of around 1900, with rendered brick, applied timbers and casement windows at ground floor, and gabled dormers above. The front doors are mostly later replacements, though all retain shallow hoods with shaped brackets. Substantial brick stacks are positioned at the gable end of number 1, on the ridge between numbers 2 and 3, and between 5 and 6. The chimney to number 4 is later, dating from about 1900.

The rear elevations vary in date, extent and scale. Number 1 has a two-storey, L-shaped rear range of rendered brick built between 1878 and 1899, with a later (post-1976) single-storey lean-to extension built against it. Number 2 has a gable-end extension to the south, apparently built by 1899. The single-storey extensions to numbers 3 and 4 post-date 1976, with the earlier roof profile, rear dormers and extension bay retained. Numbers 5 and 6 have two-storey extensions also post-dating 1976, although the extension to number 5 incorporates an earlier 18th-century single-room addition at ground floor.

Interior

Elements of the timber frame are retained throughout the range.

1 Kinecroft: The easternmost cottage has heavy timber joists running east-west in the front room into the end walls with no spine beam, contrasting with the other buildings in the range. A substantial rendered brick stack has a simple timber post-and-lintel fire surround, a later addition, in the principal ground-floor room. At first-floor level in the front room there is a queen-post truss with thin struts and purlins. The kitchen and dining area extension at ground floor and second bedroom at first floor retain no historic features of note.

2 Kinecroft: The only double-bay cottage in the range, this appears to have been underbuilt, presumably as part of the work around 1900. The ground-floor wall surface projects just forward of the first floor, indicating there may have been a jettied upper floor in this part of the range at an earlier stage. The cottage has lower door and window heights than the rest of the range and is sunken around one foot below street level. Timber ceiling joists with a chamfered central spine beam with run-out stops extend the full length of the undivided front room. A corridor, probably introduced in the late 19th century leading from the entrance to the kitchen addition and set between the two rooms, was removed between 1960 and 1964. The east wall has thin posts pegged into a wall plate and sole plate raised on a rendered stone or brick plinth. At the west end there is an inglenook fireplace with a substantial chamfered timber lintel with run-out stops. The inner reveals are of rendered rubblestone, with niches to both sides. On the south side of the inglenook is a winder stair and parts of the framing to the back wall are visible, including a wall post, part of the sole plate and the wall plate. This framing is also exposed in the opposing side of the wall seen from the southern extension. At first floor, the western bedroom has its brick and rubblestone stack structure exposed, with a timber lintel marking out a former fireplace which has been infilled with a smaller brick opening, fronted with an elaborate 19th-century cast-iron fireplace. Next to this is a small niche, possibly originally a salt or spice store, also with a timber lintel. Elements of the back wall, including posts, part of a mid-rail and the wall plate to the earlier southern roof pitch are retained and exposed. The western room to the front of the range has elements of exposed framing including a staggered wall plate, part of a mid-rail (north wall) and a purlin to the west side of the southern roof pitch.

3 Kinecroft: This shares a stack with number 2 to the east and also has a large inglenook centrally positioned on the east side of the front room. This is built from large blocks of rubblestone and bricks with a chamfered timber lintel with run-out stops. Set within the inglenook are inner reveals of uncoursed chalkstone. A winder staircase is set to the south of the stack, this being of probable mid-17th century construction. An integrated cupboard is set under the stairs and the carpentry and ironwork to this feature, including a three-panel beaded door with strap hinges and a latch, is similar to examples securely dated to the mid-17th century. The door to the stairs and the carpentry to the underside of the treads and the stair construction suggest these elements are contemporary with the cupboard and inglenook. The west wall has thin box-framed panels and the wall plate exposed, with wattle-and-daub infill set just proud of the timbers. A chamfered spine beam with run-out stops is set east-west across the front bay of the cottage, with joists exposed. There is a chequered (dark red and black) quarry-tiled floor throughout this front part of the range, which ends in line with the timber framing, indicating the start of later additions to the south. At first floor in the front room there is a brick round-backed fireplace with tiled fireplace and rough straw-based parging to the reveal and flue. The western gable has a close-studded partition, with a heavy tie beam and raking queen posts supporting purlins. The eastern gable has a tie beam cut through to provide a doorway, now blocked, that would have connected numbers 3 and 4 at first-floor level. There are two principal rafters in the roof with a bridled ridge and a supporting cleat. The front (north) pitch of the roof has been restored in the late 20th century and the rear roof pitch has been reconfigured between 1847 and 1878, based on map evidence, to a shallow pitch as part of the southern extension. The loft area is continuous with number 4.

4 Kinecroft: The east wall retains wall posts and part of the mid-rail, with peg holes indicating concealed or removed elements of the frame. The former back wall incorporates part of a door frame with a pair of scribed daisy wheel apotropaic markings. A central spine beam runs east-west across the front room with joists concealed under modern plaster. A brick fireplace of probable later 18th-century date has been constructed beneath the earlier stack with the timber lintel retained. A winder stair is set to the south of the stack. The flooring to the front room is chequered quarry tiling, matching the other cottages. The earliest, single-bay, two-storey extension to the rear at ground floor retains a rear door frame with a plank-and-batten door and a window opening from this later phase, speculatively dated to the late 18th century. At first floor, a raking queen-post roof with light studding is exposed (east gable). The front and rear wall plates are visible and there is a scarf joint at the west end of the front plate where it meets the tie beam to the west gable. A thin purlin can be seen to the rear (south) roof pitch. A four-panel door has been inserted between the front and rear room, possibly relocated from elsewhere as this appears to be an earlier fixture.

5 Kinecroft: The ground-floor front room has a chamfered spine beam which runs east-west across the front bay of the cottage, with joists supported. The east wall has thin box-framed panels and a sole plate and wall plate are exposed, with wattle-and-daub infill set proud of the timbers. An inglenook is set against the front wall on the east side, with rendered rubblestone reveals and a heavy timber lintel. There is a section of chequered quarry-tiled floor exposed adjacent to the inglenook, suggesting that this might be retained throughout the front part of the range. The timber framing to number 5 extends back further than other cottages in the range, pointing to an early extension at ground-floor level, possibly of 18th-century date based on the thin and regular framing. The rear extension bay has a slightly higher floor level and the rear wall has a central window opening and a doorway to the west side which now connects to the later 20th-century two-storey extension. The stairs are a straight flight set, leading south within the historic extension bay. These presumably replace earlier winder stairs which would have been set to the south of the inglenook as extant in other cottages in the range. At first floor, the tie beams and collar beams, ridge plate and clasped purlins are all visible, with a scarf joint to the eastern end of the purlin to the south roof pitch. The front wall plate, posts and bracing are also exposed. There is a section of close-studded framing recessed behind the stack to the south side, with a high-set rail, suggesting this may previously have served as a narrow connecting doorway to number 6. A simple 20th-century arched-brick fireplace has been built into the rendered stack.

6 Kinecroft: The ground-floor front room has a chamfered and stopped spine beam which runs east-west across the front bay of the cottage, with joists exposed. The west wall has thin box-framed panels and a sole plate and wall plate exposed. Wattle-and-daub infill is set just proud of the timbers. On the east side the stack has been rebuilt, possibly using some earlier brick, though elements of the wall framing remain. A wall post to what would have been the back wall of the cottage survives, although the rear extension has removed any further evidence of timber framing here. At first floor, the tie beams, collar beams and clasped purlins are all visible. Elements of the front wall plate, posts and bracing are also exposed. The western gable has its tie beam cut through, this pegged into posts to form an opening through to an additional narrow room, now the bathroom, which oversails the entrance to number 7.