Keeper'S Cottage

Keeper’s Cottage is a former gamekeeper's cottage, built in 1936 and designed by William Curtis Green. It was originally known as Clittaford Cottage. The building is constructed of white-washed roughcast with a slate gable end roof, featuring shallow corbels and a wide, low central chimneystack. Timber casement windows of varying size are set into granite window cills.

The cottage is planned as a two-story building with a symmetrical layout. The principal north elevation is three bays wide, with the central bay projecting forward. This projecting gable features a central granite stone doorway with a canopy above. The timber door is made of three planks, with ovolo moulding and a glazed, central diamond opening. Above the first-floor stair window is a triangular date stone, with a hexagon at its centre containing the letters "PTD" and the date in relief to the bottom two corners of the triangle. The rear (south) elevation is also three bays wide with a central gable. The roof slopes down to form a catslide over a single-story projection to the right. A porch with a slate hipped roof and mitred joint is located in the corner of the third bay. The windows are timber casements with granite cills.

The interior retains features such as granite fireplaces and unusual plank doors consisting of four planks where the second and fourth planks are recessed, with chamfered battens, latches, spearheaded strap hinges and bespoke H-L type hinges at the bottom. The former kitchen has chamfered ceiling beams, and a flagstone floor remains, reflecting its former use as a wash house.

The building’s historical context includes being commissioned in 1936 by landowner P. D. Tuckett, who had previously commissioned Curtis Green for Tuckett’s Farmhouse in 1904 and Orchard Cottage in 1933. It was part of a larger project for the Cann Estate, which also included additions to Cann House and a pair of semi-detached cottages, now known as Cann Cottages. A design for adjoining kennels was created in 1937 but their construction is unconfirmed.

Keeper’s Cottage is a substantially intact example of a cottage in the Vernacular Revival style by the nationally important architect William Curtis Green. It is designated at Grade II for its architectural merit, retention of interior features including granite fireplaces and iron door furniture, and as a well-preserved example of Curtis Green’s small-scale domestic architecture.