Shute Cottages

SOUTH MILTON SOUTH MILTON VILLAGE SX 64 SE 4/132 Nos. 1 - 4 Shute Cottages (formerly listed as 1, 4, 5 New 26.1.67 Buildings) G.V. II *

Row of 4 cottages formerly almshouses / poorhouse. Early - mid C16. Coursed, dressed slatestone walls. Slate roof gabled to left end and hipped to right. 2 stone rubble stacks with dripmoulds, 1 axial and 1 at gable end. Plan: at present divided to form 2 cottages on the ground floor and 2 cottages above each with independent access; the top cottages reached from the higher ground level at the rear. Although some internal alterations have taken place the cottages are basically of 2-room plan downstairs whilst those above also have attic rooms. They may originally have been 2 cottages with rear doorways inserted to form the top two. Exterior: 2 storeys with attic. Asymmetrical 4-window front of which the left- hand end has been largely rebuilt in rubble but the coved stone eaves cornice and chamfered plinth continue all the way along. On the 1st floor to the left are 2 early C20 4-pane sashes, the left-hand one in an opening which was originally taller. C20 casements below. There are 2 original round arched South Hams type chamfered doorways to left and right of centre, the left-hand one with a C20 glazed door, the right-hand one with a late C19 or early C20 plank door. To the right of the left-hand doorway is a window opening which formerly had a shouldered head. The 2 ground floor windows to the right are circa early C19 16-pane horizontal sliding sashes, one has a chamfered stone lintel above. On the 1st floor to the right are 2 early C16 2-light granite mullion windows with segmental heads. Along this wall are a number of square putlog holes. 4 C20 dormer windows to attic. The rear elevation, the lst floor of which opens onto the road, has doorways at each end reached by a short flight of stone steps. The left-hand one has part of a chamfered stone head surviving and the other has a chamfered stone surround and depressed segmental arched head. These doorways may originally have been windows. Original 2-light mullion window at centre similar to those on front. Otherwise C20 casements, some in original chamfered rubble openings. Interior: one 1st floor cottage only accessible and contained small original fireplace with stone lintel. Similar fireplaces may survive in the other cottages and the ground floor ones are believed to contain chamfered ceiling beams. Roof space not accessible at time of survey but cruck trusses have been recorded in this building. This is a very good example of a building type characteristic of the South Hams. Other examples survive in West Alvington and Churchstow. It appears to have suffered relatively little from C20 modernisation and preserves a very interesting external appearance.

Listing NGR: SX6985142984