Talbot Cottage

Talbot Cottage, Rowhook Road, Warnham

This is an early 17th-century timber-framed house with later phases and 20th-century additions and alterations. The front elevation was re-clad in the later 20th century.

The building is constructed as timber framing on a Horsham stone plinth. Many of the panels have been infilled with modern brick or Horsham stone, though several panels, particularly on the second storey, retain original lath and plaster infill. The roof is clay tile with two chimneystacks: the original north-eastern stack is built of Horsham stone and older brick, while the newer south-western stack is brick. The windows are irregularly spaced 20th-century wooden casements.

Originally a two-bay house of two storeys, it currently contains one room on the ground floor and three unequally sized rooms on the first floor. The original entrance was probably a lobby entrance to the west of the chimneystack, with a secondary entrance on the southern side elevation. Current access is through an outshot to the south-west. The building's plan was modified during the 20th century, with a modern single-storey garage added to the north-western end and a mid-20th-century two-storey extension with catslide roof added to the south-eastern end. This extension includes a secondary fireplace with a corresponding brick chimney.

The western front elevation has been re-clad in brick and clay peg tile, though internal inspection suggests timber framing survives in some areas, particularly at first-floor level. This elevation has one window per bay per storey in the original cottage, with an additional window in the outshot above the newly created entrance doorway. First-floor windows have been raised and now sit across the wall plate with hipped dormers partially beneath the eaves.

On the rear eastern elevation, the timber framing is externally visible. The framing is generally in square panels suggesting an early 17th-century date, with three panels to each bay width. Each storey is two panels high, making the cottage four panels high in total. The end panels to the first floor both feature curved tension braces, though the southern bay's brace appears replaced and now spans only the lower panel with brick infill. Window openings have been modified throughout the building's history, though those to this elevation generally respect the timber frame and sit wholly within original panels. The main post of the rear central truss appears to have been reused, evidenced by three mortice holes on its exterior surface in positions that would be unexpected even if a rear extension had formerly existed. Side elevations have been obscured by 20th-century outshot extensions and a garage.

Internally, the oak timber frame is visible. The back eastern wall retains much of the frame including curved downbraces and corner and central posts to the first floor. The original front western ground-floor wall has been mostly removed, though frame elements survive at first-floor level. The roof has a queen post structure with significant surviving original fabric. Numerous rafters and purlins have been replaced but original principal beams are evident in several areas. Much 18th-century studwork to the first floor also survives.

The principal beams show evidence of shallow chamfers, though only one beam of the central cross frame has a visible chamfer stop.

Of particular note internally are the fireplaces. The ground-floor inglenook fireplace contains a bread-oven to the east and a small window to the west. The retention of a bread-oven is an unusual and significant feature for a cottage of this type. The first-floor fireplace is also of interest, as cottages of this size and date would typically only be heated at ground-floor level.

The building appears to be part of the original settlement of Rowhook. Two other listed buildings form the core of this settlement in the immediate vicinity: the late 16th-century Chequers Inn (Grade II), immediately opposite, and the 16th-century Chequered Oak House (Grade II) to the north. An even earlier settlement at Rowhook may have existed, as the course of Stane Street, a Roman road, runs close to the site.

The central section of Talbot Cottage as seen today appears on Ordnance Survey maps from 1871 onwards. The 1912 Ordnance Survey map shows an additional building abutting the southern end of the cottage, which has since been removed, with a small extension added to the cottage in its place.