Little Orchard Cottage

Little Orchard Cottage

A cottage of 17th or 18th century date with later alterations and extensions.

The building is constructed of cob and stone with timber floor and roof structures, later reinforced with steel. The 20th century extensions are built of modern materials. The roofs are thatched, and the windows are modern timber casements.

The cottage follows a two-unit plan, oriented north-west to south-east, with 20th century extensions added. It is a single storey with an attic. The principal ground-floor room features a lateral inglenook fireplace on the front south-west wall and a lateral staircase to the rear. A narrower room at the north-west end contains a single-bay kitchen addition. A bathroom outshut is positioned to the rear. A late-20th century single-storey wing is attached to the north-east corner and built on elevated ground.

The principal elevation consists of four bays beneath hipped thatched roofs. Between the central and right bays sits a projecting lateral chimney breast and stack with offsets, raised in 20th century brick. The ground-floor window to the right is probably the former main entrance. A low buttress appears at the right corner. To the left of the chimney breast is a casement opening with an attic dormer above. The 20th century single-storey bay to the far left has a timber door and casement. Each flank elevation has an attic casement. A 20th century projecting lobby under a thatched roof is attached to the east end, oversailing from the late-20th century wing behind. The rear elevation features a 20th century outshut with a pantile roof.

Internally, the main entrance is a modern insertion through a 20th century lobby, opening to the bottom of the stair, which has a 17th or 18th century door frame. The stair bottom is located at the rear of the former through-passage. The former rear cottage entrance opens into the late-20th century wing and has two oak lintels spanning the cob outer wall.

The principal ground-floor room contains a stone inglenook fireplace in the south wall with an oak bressumer and stone hearth. The former spine beam that supported the first floor and defined the through-passage has been replaced with a steel beam, boxed in and supported by an oak post at one end and a brace attached to the left side of the inglenook. The joists have been strengthened with steel plates and do not align with the roughly-worked joists in the adjacent room, accessed through a 17th or 18th century door opening within a partition wall. The moulded doorframe has a rudimentary door catch. The north end wall has an alcove cut into the cob and a doorway into the 20th century kitchen.

The staircase appears to be 17th or 18th century in date and, along with the landing, slopes prominently downward in a southerly direction. Four sets of narrow roof trusses are exposed to the first floor and, above the inserted ceiling, are complete to the roof apex with collars and projecting oak pegs. Some 20th century bracing surrounds an inserted water tank in the roof. The door frames and fitted cupboards to the first floor are mainly 18th or 19th century in origin, and some doors have been adapted to accommodate the slope in the floor.