France Cottage

France Cottage is likely of 17th-century origin, although it was extensively altered in the 20th century. It is a small cottage constructed of whitewashed and rendered cob and stone, with projecting end stacks, the one on the right containing a projecting bread oven. The roof is thatched, with a gable at the left end and a hip at the right.

The cottage originally had a single-depth, two-room plan, likely with a kitchen on the right and a parlour to the left. Originally, direct entrance was into the right-hand room; a modern staircase is now located against the rear wall of that room. The exterior has an asymmetrical three-window front. A large 20th-century thatched porch sits to the right of centre, with a doorway into the right return of the porch. The windows are 20th-century, 2- and 3-light timber casements.

The interior has been thoroughly modernized, but a stud and infill partition between the two rooms retains a blocked doorway with a chamfered lintel. The roof was not inspected, but the roof timbers may be of interest.

France Cottage is situated within a small group of thatched cottages close to the roadside. It was famously given away as a competition prize by the Sun Newspaper in 1986.