Freeland Cottages

Freeland Cottages are a pair of semi-detached cottages located in Manaton, dating from the mid to late 17th century, with an early 20th-century addition to the southeast end of No. 2 and at the rear. The cottages feature plastered granite rubble walls and granite rubble gable end stacks, topped with thatched roofs that have gable ends.

Both cottages have an identical two-room plan, with direct entry into the main heated room and a subsidiary service room located between the main rooms of each cottage. The service rooms overlap, with one at the front of one cottage and the other at the rear of the second. Originally, stairs rose from the rear of each main room, and these remain in No. 2. There is a one-room addition at the right end of No. 2 and at the rear of No. 1.

The cottages are two stories high with a symmetrical facade featuring two first-floor windows with slight eyebrow eaves above. On the ground floor, there are two three-light casement windows flanking a central two-light casement, all of which are early 20th-century. The porches are symmetrically placed, with plastered stone rubble cheeks and lean-to slate roofs, and there are 20th-century plank doors. The right-side addition has a plank door and a three-light casement window above it. To the left gable end, there is a small projecting stone lean-to, possibly originally used for an oven.

Inside, each cottage's main room has a large open fireplace with a plain squared wooden lintel and granite jambs. There is a cross beam with a narrow chamfer and traces of ogee stops. Although the roof space was not inspected, the base of the trusses visible on the first floor suggests straight principals. These cottages are an interesting example of 17th-century architecture, still preserving their unusual ground floor plan.