Vale Cottages

A pair of cottages, likely originally a single house, probably dating from the 17th century, situated in Slapton. The cottages are built of plastered stone rubble and cob, with a thatched roof featuring gabled ends and eyebrow eaves. Large stone gable end stacks with slate weathering and slate cowls are present. The original plan likely comprised two rooms with a central cross or through passage, both rooms heated from a gable end stack. The larger, higher room on the left appears to have a stair turret in the front left corner of the stack. A later single-storey outshut is located behind the lower right-hand end, and a 20th-century single-storey extension is at the left end.

The south front has an asymmetrical façade with three windows. The windows are mostly 19th-century casements, with two and two lights and glazing bars. One ground-floor window on the left has a hoodmould and a smaller stair window to its left. A 19th-century 12-pane sash window is located at the right-hand end of the ground floor. A blocked central doorway, which likely served as the passage, has been replaced with a 2-light casement. 20th-century plank and glazed doors provide access to the left and right of the centre. A 20th-century single-storey outshut is attached to the left end. The rear elevation has a later single-storey outshut leading to a loft, with a corrugated asbestos roof. The interior has not been inspected but is thought to retain interesting features and possibly the original roof structure.