Beam Cottage

MORETONHAMPSTEAD FORD STREET (south side), SX 7586 Moretonhampstead 8/139 Beam Cottage - GV II

Possibly a row of houses, sub-divided into a row of cottages and now one house. Circa late C16 or early C17. Painted granite rubble, eaves raised in cob. Steeply pitched Belgium clay tile roof with gabled ends. Rendered axial ridge and gable end chimney stacks with thatch weatherings. Probably a row of contemporary houses. Original plan uncertain but it appears that the right-hand part is a 2-room plan house, each room heated by end stack, and possibly originally with central passage which now contains later stairs. Adjoining left is another 2-room plan house, the left-hand room probably unheated, the right-hand room with stack backing on to left end of the other house. The range probably continued with another house on the right-hand end, because there are fireplaces on the exposed right-hand gable end. 2 storeys. Long asymmetrical 5-window range. Front has various early C20 wooden casements and late C20 plastic casements, all with wooden lintels. Ground floor centre window has large chamfered lintel. Doorway inserted under right-hand end of this lintel with C20 plank door and C20 wooden gabled porch. Various small C19 and C20 casements are rear with timber lintels. Ground at rear is at much lower level, which is probably partly due to later excavation. Interior: one chamfered cross beam in each of the right-hand and centre rooms with hollow bar stops. All the fireplaces have chamfered wooden lintels with the same hollow bar stops, one on left side and one on each floor of the right side of the axial stack, and another on first floor of the end stack on the exposed right-hand gable end. The other fireplaces are blocked, as is the ground floor fireplace on the exposed right-hand gable end. Room at left-hand end was originally divided by veryheavy post and panel screen, unchamfered and with square section sole-plate and rail. This screen has been taken out and was lying in the garden at time of survey 1985. The doorway between the two 2-room plan houses has only recently been made, and roughly hewn collars halved and pegged to face of principals which are trenched for purlins which are missing. Roof over left end is entirely C20. A row of early 2-room plan house like this is very uncommon.

Listing NGR: SX7526286102