Coombe Cottage And Longview Cottage

Coombe Cottage and Longview Cottage are two cottages with origins dating back to the 17th century, possibly earlier. They were thoroughly refurbished in the 19th century and modernized around 1970. The cottages are constructed from plastered stone rubble, possibly with some cob, and feature stone rubble stacks topped with 19th and 20th-century brick. The thatched roof adds to their charm.

The cottages are situated side by side, facing south-south-east. Coombe Cottage, the larger of the two, is on the left (west) and has a two-room plan, with both rooms heated by a central axial stack that serves back-to-back fireplaces. Coombe Cottage was created by combining two smaller cottages, one on each side of the stack. Longview Cottage, on the right (east), is a smaller one-room cottage heated by an axial stack that backs onto Cliff Hayes Cottage, which is adjacent to the right. While there is some 17th-century fabric present, it is insufficient to determine the layout prior to the 19th century. It is evident that a row of cottages was formed by dividing a 17th-century house, and in the 20th century, two of them were united to create Coombe Cottage. Both cottages are two storeys high.

The exterior features a seven-window front with 20th-century replacement casements that include glazing bars. Each former cottage has a central front doorway, meaning Coombe Cottage has two front doorways. The center and right doorways have 20th-century plank doors, while the left doorway features a 19th-century part-glazed six-panel door. All doorways are topped with hipped thatch-roofed porches; those of Coombe Cottage are supported by rustic posts, while Longview Cottage's porch is supported by sloping buttresses. The roof is gable-ended on the right and abuts the adjoining house on the left.

Inside, most of the carpentry detail is from the 19th century and is simply finished. However, there are a couple of 17th-century chamfered and step-stopped crossbeams. The fireplace in the center room is also from the 17th century, made of stone rubble with a chamfered oak lintel. The roof structure is mostly 19th century, although the truss over the left room of Coombe Cottage has slightly curving principals that may date back to the 17th century.