School House, Including Garden Boundary Wall To East And Linhay To North-West

The School House, which includes a garden boundary wall to the east and a linhay to the north-west, is a cottage believed to have been a former school. It dates from the late 17th century to early 18th century. The building features rendered cob walls and a thatched roof that is half hipped at the right end and gabled at the left. There is a rendered brick gable end stack on the left and a rendered rubble lateral stack at the rear of the right-hand end, topped with a brick shaft. The layout consists of two rooms with a cross-passage, where the larger room on the left is heated by the gable end stack, and the smaller room on the right, likely the kitchen, is heated by the rear lateral stack. Stairs were added to the central passage, probably in the 19th century. The linhay at the rear of the right end extends at right angles and includes a shippon on the ground floor and an open-fronted hay tallet above. The building is two storeys high and has a nearly symmetrical front with two 19th-century two-light casement windows featuring small panes. To the left of centre is a 20th-century part-glazed door beneath a heavy 19th-century slate porch hood. Inside, the right-hand room has an open fireplace with a plain wooden lintel, which may be a replacement, and an oven on the left side. Although the roof space was not inspected, evidence on the first floor suggests it has insubstantial straight principals. The property also includes a rubble garden wall along the road, with square gate piers that have rough capping. This cottage is situated at a prominent corner in the centre of Coffinswell, and it is important to maintain its traditional appearance. The original internal layout remains largely intact.