Thorn Cottage And Appledore Cottage

A pair of cottages, originally a farmhouse, dates to the 17th century, and may have even earlier origins. Substantial alterations and extensions were made in the 20th century. The walls are rendered cob, and the roof is thatched with hips. Appledore Cottage has a projecting lateral stack at the front, constructed of rendered rubble with a rendered brick shaft. The building was likely originally a 3-room house with a through-passage, featuring a hall heated by a rear lateral stack and a lower room heated by a front lateral stack. It was later divided into two cottages in the 19th century, then extended at both ends throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Thorn Cottage is to the left and consists of an inner room and an extension to its left. Appledore Cottage comprises a hall (possibly reduced in size), a passage, a lower room, and an extension at the right end which was originally a barn, plus a rear extension.

The front facade of Appledore Cottage has three windows; the first-floor left and right windows are 3- and 2-light early 20th-century casements with glazing bars. The first-floor centre window is 2-lights, with a likely 18th-century leaded light to the right and a 20th-century light to the left. The ground-floor windows are 2- and 3-light mid-20th-century casements with leaded panes, the right-hand one being in the former barn extension. A 20th-century glazed door is located to the left of the centre, sheltered by a thatched porch hood supported on timber posts. A projecting lateral stack is on the right. Thorn Cottage to the left has a 3-window front with 2 windows on the ground floor. These are all 20th-century 2-light casements with one glazing bar. First-floor windows are in very small openings, and the left-hand end of the house is recessed, forming an extension. A 20th-century glazed door is at the right end, again under a thatched porch hood supported on timber posts, with a sloping buttress to the right.

The interior of Thorn Cottage was inaccessible during the survey. Appledore Cottage has been considerably modernised but contains few early features. The fireplace in the lower room has an exposed wood lintel which appears chamfered but is blocked below. The hall fireplace has a renewed plain timber lintel. The roof trusses are likely 18th-century, with straight principals mortised at the apex and lapped and pegged collars. The cottages occupy a prominent position at the top of the main street in Coffinswell and retain a relatively traditional appearance.