Swinbrook Place

Swinbrook Place is a pair of substantial mid- to late 19th-century cottages in the vernacular revival tradition, formerly known as Church View and Stocks Hill Cottage. They are now treated as a single dwelling. The buildings are constructed of coursed Cotswold limestone rubble with freestone dressings and slate roofs.

The cottages are arranged symmetrically on an H-plan, comprising gabled wings either side of a central range. Entrances in the main west elevation are set into the inner angles of the main range, positioned either side of a central window that is internally bisected by the party wall. Large stacks with square bases and diagonally-set square shafts stand at the angles between the main range and cross wings, positioned mid-way along the ridge of each gabled wing. A single-storey outshut was inserted at the rear in the late 19th century and subsequently incorporated into a two-storey addition constructed in the 1960s. The 1960s upper-floor addition to the east, which cuts into the inner slopes of the rear gable roofs, and the single-storey rear extensions of the same period are not of special interest.

The west-facing entrances feature chamfered and moulded doorways with steeply arched heads. The current front doors, dating from the mid- to late 20th century with glazed upper panels, are set into the original outer arches of formerly open porches with chamfered timber architraves. Window openings and mullions are chamfered throughout, though some are repaired. A four-light mullion window occupies the centre. Above it is a pair of gabled half-dormers, each containing a two-light mullion window. The west and east gables each have a single two-light mullion window to each floor. The north and south elevations feature a pair of similar ground-floor windows. The east gable walls resemble the west elevation, though the ground-floor windows have been replaced with replicas of the originals. Original cast iron windows have fixed frames with lozenge lights; a small opening central section of four lights is pivot-hung. Later windows, replaced in the mid-20th century, are metal-framed casements with lozenge leaded lights.

The northern half, formerly Stocks Hill Cottage, retains its original configuration. The porch opens onto the west-facing ground-floor room of the gabled bay, with winder stairs rising from a rear hall behind the porch. Walls between the ground-floor rooms have been removed, leaving a narrow passage either side of the stack. The rear entrance, now internal, has a cambered arched head. Ground-floor fireplaces are fitted with 20th-century timber mantelshelves; the west-facing surround is incised. The first floor contains a small cast iron grate with a moulded arched head. Upper-floor plank doors are fitted with vernacular revival strap hinges. The ground floor and porch have stone flag floors. Each cottage contains a narrow, central, unheated ground-floor room separated by an internal partition that bisects the west-facing four-light window.

The southern half, formerly Church View, originally had an identical layout but has been substantially altered. The porch has been removed internally and the stairs have been replaced and reversed, altering the plan on both floors. The former rear entrance and adjacent blocked window retain cambered arched heads. Ground-floor fireplaces have been opened up and fitted with 20th-century timber mantelshelves; the west-facing surround is incised. The first floor contains a small cast iron grate with a scalloped head. Plank doors, mostly dating from the late 20th century, have vernacular revival strap hinges.

Swinbrook Place sits below the church in the picturesque centre of the village. Due to their scale and architectural treatment, the cottages evoke the character of a manor house rather than a pair of cottages and are part of a group of cottages and houses in Tudor style noted by Pevsner. The cottages are marked on Ordnance Survey maps from 1881 to 1921 in their original H-plan configuration with detached outbuildings to the rear. Between 1881 and 1899 the rear was infilled, probably with a single-storey outshut and stack, which form the base of the 1960s addition. The easternmost of the outbuildings, a single-storey detached stone building with a pitched roof and entrances on the west and south, is presumed to be an earth closet. It has the remains of an enclosed paved area on the east side and may also have served as a pigsty.