Willy Wilcox Cottage and Charlie Wilcox Cottage

Two cottages, probably of a mid-C19 date.

The cottages are constructed of rendered stone rubble, with a slate roof with rubble chimney stacks at each end to Willy Wilcox Cottage; and a tiled roof with a rendered rubble stack at its south end to Charlie Wilcox Cottage. The cottages step down from north to south, Charlie Wilcox Cottage at the north being of three storeys, two bays wide; and Willy Wilcox Cottage to the south being two-storeys with the main cottage of two bays, and a former store to the south (converted to residential) of two further bays. The ground floor of the cottages abuts the solid rock on the hill behind. Both are of single-depth plan, with Willy Wilcox Cottage having small C20 extensions to the rear.

Charlie Wilcox Cottage has an asymmetrical window front, the ground and first floor having two 12-pane sashes and the second floor two two-light casements. The former store to Willy Wilcox Cottage has a two twelve-panes sashes on each storey and those to the ground floor have late-C20 timber shutters. The entrance is placed left of centre to the main cottage, with a late-C20 six-light casement beneath a slate hood on the ground floor and a pair of twelve-pane sashes above.

Internally Willy Wilcox Cottage comprises a living area and three bedrooms in the original cottage, with a bathroom extension to the rear. The living room has exposed ceiling joists with evidence of partitioning, and a C20 canted stone fireplace on the north wall where a connecting door to Charlie Wilcox Cottage was located until 2010. On the west wall is a C20 glazed archway revealing the rock face at the rear of the cottage. A kitchen, further bedroom and utility room are located in the former store; these rooms have C20 fittings and finishes. A staircase leads up from the front entrance to a narrow hallway on the first floor. The first floor has exposed ceiling beams and trusses, some with scratch or carpenter’s marks.

Charlie Wilcox Cottage has a kitchen and bedroom on the lower ground floor, accessed from a staircase from ground floor level. The main entrance is at the rear of the ground floor, leading into a sitting and dining room, which has a fireplace at the south end and exposed ceiling joists. A further dog-leg staircase leads to two further bedrooms, one with a fireplace, and a bathroom on the first floor.