Saddlecombe

Saddlecombe is a cottage dating from the early to mid 17th century, which was renovated around 1970. It is constructed from plastered local stone and flint rubble, with some cob, and features a stone rubble stack topped with 20th-century brick and a thatched roof. The cottage has a two-room plan, facing southwest, with the larger room on the right (southeast) side having an axial stack that backs onto the left room. A newel stair turret projects from the front wall, and the front entrance leads into the left room. This cottage appears to be a well-preserved example of a small 17th-century house.

It has two storeys and an irregular two-window front elevation featuring 20th-century casements with rectangular panes of leaded glass. The rear section has three original oak-framed windows with chamfered mullions; the first-floor windows are half dormers, with the left one containing some old diamond panes of leaded glass. The ground-floor window is unglazed, with 20th-century glass in front. The front doorway has a 20th-century door, and the eaves have been modified to create a hood. The main roof is half-hipped at each end.

Inside, although the ceiling of the left room is supported by replacement joists, the rest of the interior is remarkably well-preserved. There is an original oak Tudor arch doorway between the two rooms, along with contemporary doorframes leading to the stair and the main first-floor chambers, all featuring chamfered surrounds and some with scroll stops. Some doors are ancient plank doors. The fireplace is made of stone rubble, with a chamfered oak lintel that has elongated scroll stops, matching the finish of the crossbeam in the same room. The roof consists of A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars. Saddlecombe is a very well-preserved example of a small 17th-century house and is a remarkably rare survival. It is also part of a group of attractive listed buildings that make up the hamlet of Farway.