The Old House

The Old House is a house dating from the 1820s, with alterations made in the 1870s and a later kitchen addition to the rear. It is constructed with mass wall construction, rendered with a stucco finish, and has a slate roof that is half-hipped at the left end and gabled at the right end, with end stacks and cast-iron gutters.

The house has a single-depth main range, two rooms wide, with a central entrance leading into a passage and staircase. A rear kitchen wing, heated by a lateral stack, opens onto a rear court.

The asymmetrical front of the house has four windows. Rusticated quoins are visible. Deep eaves are supported by paired moulded brackets, and a fluted eaves frieze incorporates palmettes. A round-headed doorway is positioned to the left of centre, with a pilastered doorcase featuring moulded pilasters with capitals, an open pediment, a fluted frieze, and panelled reveals with fielded upper panels. The double-leaf panelled door has fielded upper panels and a plain fanlight. A secondary doorway, added in the late 19th century to serve as a registry office, is located to the right, with a 1870s double-leaf half-glazed door with flush panels, a pilastered doorcase with reeded pilasters framing a deep overlight with a cornice. The front has two ground-floor windows with sixteen panes and four similar first-floor windows, all dating from the 19th century. The return elevation facing the courtyard has renewed small-pane timber sash windows. The rear wing also has small-pane timber sashes.

Inside, a 1870s inner door has half-glazed panels, glazed side lights, a deep overlight, and 1870s floor tiling. 19th-century features include a mahogany staircase with bobbin-turned balusters, panelled doors, and joinery. The kitchen contains a large fireplace with an iron lintel.

A garden is enclosed by tall grey limestone rubble walls.

Historically, in 1879, the house (then known as Bridge Cottage) was occupied by John Bovey, who held several positions including registrar of births and deaths, ale and stout agent, vaccination officer, sanitary inspector, and insurance agent. The later 19th-century alterations were likely undertaken for him.