Salem Cottages Or Hornblower'S Cottage

Salem Cottages, also known as Hornblower's Cottage, is a farmhouse and cottage located in Chacewater, dating from the early to late 18th century. The building is constructed from Killas elvan and granite rubble, featuring elvan and granite quoins and sills. The first floor of the front is rendered cob, while the farmhouse has a corrugated asbestos roof and the cottage has a dry slate roof, both originally thatched. Brick chimneys are situated over the gable ends and the party wall.

The farmhouse has a two-room central stair plan with a narrow cellar at the rear, while the cottage has a one-room plan that was remodeled in 1985. The structure is two storeys high, with the east front displaying a three-window range: a two-window front for the farmhouse and a one-window front for the cottage. The farmhouse features 20th-century windows with top-opening lights, and the cottage has 20th-century two-light casements. The farmhouse has an off-centre doorway to the right, while the cottage has a later doorway to the far left, adjacent to the original corner of the house, both equipped with 20th-century doors.

Inside, the farmhouse remains largely unaltered, retaining its original floor and an early 19th-century roof structure. The cellar at the rear is partly below ground level. Historically, this building was the home of Joseph Hornblower, a partner of Thomas Newcomen, in 1725, as well as his son Jonathan from 1745 to 1773, and his younger son Josiah, who later introduced steam engines to the American colonies.