The Ark

The Ark is a house that was originally two cottages, dating from the late 17th century. It has been modernised and partly rebuilt around 1970. The structure features plastered cob on rubble footings, with some areas rebuilt using concrete blockwork. It has rubble stacks topped with plastered 20th-century brick chimney shafts and a thatched roof. The building is U-shaped, consisting of two parallel main blocks that are set only about 2 meters apart, aligned on a north-west/south-east axis and joined at the south-east end, away from the road.

The south-east front has a three-window arrangement with casements from around 1970, which include glazing bars. There is a contemporary door to the right of the center and a gabled porch with a slate roof. The windows on the other sides are also from around 1970, most lacking glazing bars. A rear door facing the road has a porch from the same period, featuring a slate gable roof and weatherboarded sides. The roofs have hipped ends.

Inside, the left side (south-western) cottage retains a well-preserved interior. The rear room, closest to the road, serves as the service room and features a 17th-century chamfered crossbeam with run-out stops. The front room has a contemporary double-ovolo axial beam with run-out stops. The stack serves corner diagonal fireplaces in both rooms, which are made of rubble with curving pentans and plain oak lintels. The service room also includes a bread oven. The roof is constructed with A-frame trusses and pegged lap-jointed collars. The right (north-eastern) range underwent nearly complete rebuilding around 1970, including raising the plain oak lintel on the fireplace at that time.