1-10 The Cottages

The Cottages is a row of cottages located in Thurlestone, likely dating from the mid to late 17th century, although they have been altered at various times. The cottages feature plastered rubble walls and gabled thatch roofs, with No. 6 having a slate roof. There are ten brick stacks, some resting on rubble bases.

Each cottage probably originally had a two-room layout, with one larger heated room. Some cottages show evidence of newel stairs, and No. 10 has a prominent stair projection on its front wall. Internal alterations and subdivisions have occurred, with No. 6 being a 19th-century addition between two adjoining cottages.

The row is two storeys high, though some frontages appear single storey. It presents a long, irregular, and picturesque appearance, primarily consisting of single-fronted cottages. Most windows are 19th or early 20th century small-paned casements with one, two, or three lights, along with some sliding sashes. First-floor windows are generally set in eyebrows in the thatch, except for No. 6, which has had its eaves raised and features early 19th-century 16-pane sashes with a contemporary hood over its door. The doors are a mix of plank and panelled styles, and No. 10 has a semicircular stair projection on its front wall.

Internally, Nos. 4 and 5 have been observed, both featuring stone newel staircases. No. 4 includes a small fireplace in the right-hand room with a slate slab lintel and a Lydstone range. No. 5 has roughly chamfered cross beams with run-out stops and a coffin-hatch in the ceiling of the right-hand ground floor room. The cottages likely retain substantial original straight principal rafters.