Spekes Valley Cottage

HARTLAND SS 22 SW

3/147 Spekes Valley Cottage -

• II

Cottage. Possibly C16 remodelled in circa early to mid C17 extended in C19 and C20. Plastered rubble and cob walls, apparently mainly cob at the rear. Thatch roof gabled to left end and hipped to the right. Brick axial stack. Plan: at present 3-room plan but both the outer rooms are additions. The larger central room is heated by a fireplace at its right end. Evidence in the roof suggests however, that this may have been inserted into an open hall previously heated by a central hearth. This may have been a fairly late example of an open hall judging by the light smoke-blackening in the roof but such a modest house would quite likely have been built in an archaic form. It is possible that the house may even be as late as early C17 and was floored over within about a generation of being built. The small room added at the right end is probably C18 and likely originally to have been a stable or animal house, it now has a staircase to the rear. The purpose of the small outshot behind it is unclear. The addition at the left-hand end was originally of one storey and probably a C19 dairy or similar service room, it was raised to 2 storeys in the C20. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front of early and mid 1 and 2-light C20 casements, all in small openings. C20 thatched roof open-fronted porch with C20 plank door behind. Similar door with glazed panel to left of centre. Rear elevation has outshot to left of centre. Interior: principal room has a wany chamfered cross-beam. The roof over the central room consists of one pair of wany straight principal rafters with a small triangular block at the apex joining the tops of the trusses which are not themselves morticed to each other. The collar is simply lapped and pegged across the principals. The whole roof, including battens and underside of the thatch is lightly and evenly smoke-blackened. Later roof at either end. This is an unusual survival of a 1-room plan early house.

Listing NGR: SS2362922777