Much In Little

TREVALGA TREVALGA SX 09 SE 1/244 Much-in-Little - GV II Cottage. Possibly C17. Slate stone rubble, partly rendered. Bitumen coated rag slate roof with gable ends and projecting stone rubble stack on right hand gable end. Plan: 1 room plan; entrance on left through a circa C19 porch which has been partly remodelled in the C20. The ground floor room is heated by a gable end stack on right and the C19 newel stair to the first floor is situated on the left hand side of the fireplace, rising in a quarter turn. A blocked door in the left hand side wall originally gave access to the adjoining house on left, qv Rose Cottage. It is possible that the rear wall of Rose Cottage may have originally been part of a further room belonging to Much-in-Little. However, the straight joint between these 2 cottages suggest that this was possibly an early extension, possibly of the late C17, rather than part of the original plan. Two storeys. Regular single window front. The virca C19 porch on left has been partly remodelled in the C20 and was considerably overgrown at time of inspection. C19 2-light horizontal sliding sash on right and 9-pane top-hung casement on first floor in half dormer with raking roof. Stone rubble single storey lean-to outshot on rear. Interior: Slate flag floor. The roughly cut ceiling beams have a slight chamfer and the floor boards where visible, are very wide suggesting an earlier C18 date. The deep fireplace has a cloam oven with clay door and a charred timber lintel which is partly obscured by a C19 mantle shelf. Shallow stone sink with probably blocked drainhole in rear wall, directly opposite entrance on left. Blocked door through to Rose Cottage on left is partly blocked by a cupboard. The timber newel stair, possibly C19, rises from the front left hand side of the fireplace in a quarter turn, to the unpartitioned room above. Roof: the 2-bay roof structure is circa C18; the principals are halved, lapped and probablypegged at the apex, the joint obscured by two later inserted timber ties. The collar was originally lapped and pegged onto the face of the principals, the pegs replaced with bolts. The purlins rest on the back of the principals and support roughtly cut common rafters, some replaced. There is evidence to suggest that the eaves have been raised. The roof timbers appear to be slightly blackened although this is more likely to have been the result of a smoking chimney or dark staining rather than an open hearth. A second truss has been inserted on the left hand side of the central truss. Much-in-Little is a picturesque and unaltered cottage with a particularly interesting and rare surviving 1-room-plan.

Listing NGR: SX0813490081