16 And 18, High Street

A row of three cottages, dating from the mid to late 18th century, converted into two cottages. The construction is colourwashed plastered cob with a thatched roof, hipped at the left end, and brick end and axial stacks.

The cottages were originally built as identical units, each with a principal heated room at the front and a narrow, unheated service room at the rear, which accommodates a winder staircase, the service room itself, and a small lobby with a rear door leading to gardens. A direct entry leads into each principal room, opposite the chimney stack. The right-hand and centre cottages are now combined into a single dwelling; the front door of the right-hand cottage has been blocked, and a narrow archway has been created through the party wall adjacent to the central cottage's fireplace. A small conservatory has been added to the rear of the centre cottage.

The cottages are two storeys high and have an asymmetrical three-window front. The front doors of the left-hand (number 16) and centre (number 18) cottages are adjacent, with an open porch with a slated roof and small porch benches. Number 16 retains a six-panel door; number 18 has a 20th-century half-glazed door. There are circa late 18th-century two-light casement windows, each with six panes, some retaining old catches. The ground floor window to the left of number 18 has original shutters.

Internally, the cottages remain very unaltered, retaining original joinery and carpentry. 20th-century grates may conceal original fireplaces. The right-hand cottage features symmetrical cupboards with plank doors and strap hinges on either side of the fireplace, original first-floor floorboards, and a tiled floor to the principal ground-floor room. The centre and right-hand cottages retain the original staircase with timber treads and risers. The interior of number 18 was not inspected but is reportedly similar.

Despite their modest scale and details, these cottages are rare examples of small-scale vernacular village buildings in a very unaltered condition, possessing group value as a well-preserved example of regional architecture.