2, 3 and 4 (Merrifield), Silverhill

A row of three cottages located in Silverhill, Marlborough, likely dating from the late 17th and 18th centuries, constructed in phases. The cottages have rendered rubble walls, potentially including some cob, and a hipped thatched roof. Rendered brick stacks are present at the axial point of No. 4 (to the left), at the centre of No. 3, and at the right end of No. 2.

The layout suggests that Nos. 4 and 3 may originally have been a single dwelling, now divided into two rooms each; No. 3 also has a small wing connecting it to No. 2. No. 2 appears to be based on a one-room plan, with a 20th-century addition to the rear.

The exterior of No. 4 has an asymmetrical two-window front. The lower windows are late 20th-century PVC casements, and a doorway has been converted into a window. A glazed door is located in the left-hand end wall. No. 3, adjoining to the right, presents a two-window front. The ground-floor window to the left on each level is a mid-20th-century metal-frame two-light casement. The first-floor window to the left is a 19th-century two-light casement, with a late 19th-century four-pane sash window below. A small lean-to porch with a 19th-century plank door is situated against the right-hand end wall. The linking wing to the rear connects with No. 2, which has two windows on its first floor and PVC casements below, apart from a single small-paned light on the first floor to the left. A stable-type door and a single-story 20th-century addition are also present at the rear.

The interior of No. 2, the only cottage accessible during the survey, revealed few original features besides a largely rebuilt fireplace and substantial principal rafters, possibly original, visible on the first floor; the roof space was not inspected.