Manor Cottage

Manor Cottage is a detached house dating from the 17th century, located on Preston Road, Preston, near Weymouth. It is situated behind and abutting Nos. 228 and 230. The building is constructed of rubble and has a thatched roof. The position of the outer stack indicates the property was extended by one bay at that end.

The exterior is two storeys high with four windows. The windows are timber casements with leaded lights. The first floor has three four-light and one two-light windows with eyebrows. The ground floor windows consist of a four-light window, a three-light stone hollow-chamfered mullioned casement with a label, a small two-light window (primarily under concrete lintels), and an inserted small light. A three-plank door is positioned off-centre to the right. The rear of the building has three four-light casements with eyebrows. The left gable is rendered and has a 20th-century conservatory attached. The right gable has a two-light casement window at first floor level. There are two very large stacks built of Portland ashlar; one at the right gable and another between the first two bays at the left end.

The interior features a former cross passage, which now lacks rear access. Remains of a heavy timber-framed partition are present to the right, along with two reset peaked-head doorways. A room to the left, which has been divided by a later partition, contains a reset deep-chamfered, late 16th or early 17th century beam with run-out stops. This room also has a large stone fireplace with a deep flush lintel and chamfered surround. The room to the right has a wide fireplace with stone jambs and a cambered timber bressumer. To the left of this fireplace is a brick bread-oven with an original cast-iron door and strap hinges. Early joists remain visible on the ground floor. The roof is of 20th-century construction.

Historically, the architect Walmsley Lewis restored the house in the 1930s, and it is reputedly the former residence of John Wesley’s grandfather.