Beggars Roost

A cottage, likely dating from the 17th century, with an 19th-century outbuilding at the rear that was converted into living space in the late 20th century. The cottage is constructed of painted rendered stone rubble and cob, with a thatched, hipped roof at the left end. It has stone rubble stacks at each end; the right-hand stack is shared with the adjacent Silver House, while the left-hand stack has had its shaft demolished. The rear outbuilding is principally of stone rubble, with some cob to the front walls, and has a gable-ended slate roof.

The cottage likely began with a two-room and central-passage plan, each room heated by end fireplaces. A staircase was originally located in the rear right-hand corner. Internal partitions were removed, and the front doorway was blocked, possibly in the 19th century. A new doorway and partition were inserted at the left end, rendering the original fireplace redundant. Later, in the 20th century, the partition was removed and the doorway converted into a window, resulting in a single, large ground-floor room with fireplaces at each end and rear access. The roofed-over, rear outbuilding, originally with external steps on the courtyard side, was integrated into the main dwelling at this time. A thatched lean-to at the left end of the main range was reconstructed in the 20th century.

The cottage has two storeys and a two-window front. The windows are 19th or early 20th century casements with two or three panes per light. Inside, the right-hand end retains deep chamfered cross ceiling beams and a bressumer; one beam has scroll-stops at the front end. The right-hand fireplace has a thin chamfered lintel and straight cut-stops, and a concealed bread oven is located to the left side. The left-hand fireplace has a scroll-stopped chamfered lintel. An early 19th-century staircase and 19th-century joinery are largely intact. The roof structure is complete, featuring a single early 17th-century truss with straight principals, a dovetail-style collar, two tiers of threaded purlins, and threaded ridge purlins. Smoke-blackening on the roof near Silver House suggests past seepage from the hearth of that building, which could indicate the date of Silver House's internal ceiling.