Tillies Cottage

Tillie’s Cottage is a cottage dating to the late 16th century, with 17th and 18th century additions and alterations, further modifications in the 19th century, and a restoration in 1985. The structure is timber frame with brick nogging; the roof is covered in Horsham slabs and plain tiles. Originally consisting of three bays, the left bay was a narrow smoke bay. A one-bay 17th-century addition was constructed to the left, under a pent roof, and a 17th-century stack was added to the rear of the central bay, later enclosed within an 18th-century rear outshut addition. A 20th-century brick plinth is present, with a nibble plinth and sole plate surviving on the right side of the exposed framing. Some wall posts have arched tension braces to the mid rail; the panels were formerly wattle and daub, now brick nogging (on the first floor reusing old brick). An old board door is located to the right of centre, set within a 1985 open gabled porch. There are three windows on the ground floor and four above, all casement windows with leaded lights. The ground floor window on the left; the first-floor window on the right retain their original central frames, and the latter incorporates some old glass quarries. The rear of the cottage features a timber frame outshut with brick nogging of various periods. A stack has offsets, and the roof is mostly tiled. The right return is of 18th-century brickwork in Flemish bond, with a plinth and tile-hung gable. The left return has an original two-light leaded casement window with stanchions and saddle bars. The main range has a tile-hung gable with decorative bands, added in 1985.

The interior retains exposed timber framing, ceiling joists, and partition walls. A cross-beam between the right-hand bays has mortices, indicating the position of a former partition wall. The 17th-century chimney features an inglenook with lambs’ tongue stops to the chamfered bressumer, alongside spit racks, side benches, a salt cupboard, and a bread oven (now a cupboard). Old wooden stairs lead from the front of the former smoke bay, with board doors to a cupboard below and a room in the addition. On the first floor, there are board doors and wide oak boards to the central room, along with a simple fireplace. The roof has sooted timbers reused from an earlier open-hall house, with queen post roof trusses and coupled rafters.