Cross Cottages

A row of four cottages dating from the 17th century, with later alterations, extensions, and a partial 19th-century rebuild. The walls are mainly cob with a stone plinth, though the left-hand end has been rebuilt in red brick. The roofs are thatched, with a hipped roof to the right-hand end and a gabled end to the left. It is believed the cottages incorporate an older farmhouse, and this is reflected in the axial stack.

The cottages are two storeys high, with the roof ridge line to the right of the axial stack noticeably lower than the rest of the row. The left-hand end, rebuilt in brick, features 2- and 3-light casement windows with window arches. Similar windows are present on the first floor throughout the row, though 20th-century casement windows have been inserted into the cob wall on the right-hand side. The rear elevation has five 2-light casement windows on the first floor, along with rear lean-tos. Three large lateral stacks are present at the rear, two of which are external.

The roof structure has been much altered, but ten bays were inspected, revealing four 17th or early 18th century principals still bearing the ridge-piece, side-pegged and morticed with halved collars, alongside remnants of two smaller, now redundant trusses. Cross Cottages form a visually striking group at the western approach to Bradninch Town.