Church Cottage

SS 91 NW STOODLEIGH STOODLEIGH

9/170 Church Cottage (previously listed as School 16.10.75 Cottages) GV II

House, formerly pair of cottages, possibly originally church house. Circa early C16 origins, C17 and C19 remodellings. Stone rubble, slate roof, gabled at ends; brick end stacks and axial stack. Plan: Present plan single depth, 4 rooms wide, backing on to the churchyard. The origins of the house are probably a late medieval open hall, although the smoke- blackening of the roof timbers is quite slight and the trusses over the left end are clean. The development of the house is not clear and some of the evidence has been obscured by the probably C18 or C19 subdivision into cottages. The 1975 list description refers to 2 cottages with "plain doorways with slated hoods"; the right hand doorway has been converted to a garden door, the hoods no longer exist and a gabled stone porch has been added to the left hand door. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4 window front, gabled stone porch to left, C20 2- leaf glazed garden door with glazing bars to the right. C19 3-light timber casements with small panes. The rear elevation, facing the churchyard, is set back at the right end and has 1 small 1-light window with a timber lintel, ground floor left and one 2-light casement; 2 first floor windows, one 1-light and one 2-light casement. Interior: The right hand room of the range has a good open fireplace with a timber lintel, chamfered step-stopped cross beam and plank and muntin sreen. The left hand stack is probably a modern addition. Roof: Side-pegged jointed cruck trusses. Although there is no evidence of a partition up to the apex the smoke-staining is restricted to the trusses over the right end.

Listing NGR: SS9224618811