3 And 4 Beaumont Cottages

Two adjoining estate cottages, dating to the late 16th century, originally part of the Beaumont charity established from a legacy left by Henry Beaumont of Combe House, who died in 1590. The cottages were later sold but continue to support pensions. They are built of stone rubble, rendered below the eaves, with a thatched roof, a plain ridge, and a gable at the right end. There is a stack at the right end and another axial stack.

The cottages are situated to the rear of, and parallel to, numbers 1 and 2 Beaumont Cottages, forming a small courtyard. Initially, they comprised three cottages, but at the time of a 1988 survey, they were divided into two. Number 4 has a single-cell plan with one heated room and a winder stair adjacent to the stack; a small service room has been created at the rear by an inserted partition. Number 3 likely retains a two-room plan and has two front doors.

The exterior has an asymmetrical six-window front. The eaves are eyebrowed over the two right-hand first-floor windows. There are three doors, located to the left, right and centre, all dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. The windows are 2- and 3-light casements with glazing bars.

Inside number 4, a deeply-chamfered step-stopped crossbeam is visible, along with a partly blocked fireplace retaining an early timber lintel and a winder stair adjacent to the stack. The right-hand roof truss is an 'A' frame, likely a replacement, while the left-hand truss is a side-pegged jointed cruck truss. It is likely that number 3 retains good carpentry details and an early roof.

The cottages contribute to a notable group arrangement around a courtyard with numbers 1 and 2. They form an important part of an outstanding estate village described in 1790 as “esteemed the cleanliest in the country.”