The Old Thatch (Birch Cottage On Os)

The Old Thatch, also known as Birch Cottage, is a house that was originally two cottages built in the early 19th century and renovated around 1970. It is constructed from local stone rubble with a thatched roof and features a stone rubble stack topped with 20th-century brick. The house was formed by combining a pair of contemporary two-room cottages, each with a mirrored layout, featuring a central axial stack that served back-to-back fireplaces. Each cottage had a larger heated inner room and a smaller unheated end room.

In the renovation around 1970, the two cottages were united, a new rear lobby entrance was created, the front doorways were blocked, and the partition between the two rooms of the former right cottage was removed. The building is two storeys high with an outshot on the left (east) end.

The exterior displays a regular four-window front with 20th-century casements that include glazing bars, and there are low thatch eyebrows over the first-floor windows. The roof is hipped at both ends. The front doorway leads into a lean-to outshot, which now serves as the kitchen. The rear elevation mirrors the front with a similar four-window arrangement and features a central doorway from around 1970, which is sheltered by a contemporary gabled porch.

Inside, the house has plain carpentry details. The main crossbeams are adorned with narrow chamfers that have run-out stops. Both fireplaces have been relined but retain their chamfered oak lintels with run-out stops. The roof has not been inspected.