Copplestone Cottage

Copplestone Cottage is a house with origins dating back to the early 16th century, which was remodeled in the early 17th century. It is constructed from whitewashed rendered cob and stone rubble, topped with a thatched roof that has gabled ends. The building features end stacks and an axial stack with a granite shaft. Originally a late medieval open hall house, it has been floored in two phases: the inner room was floored first, with the chamber floor jettying into the hall. The hall and lower end were floored later, with the hall stack inserted, backing onto a through passage. The inner room and lower end were likely unheated until the 18th or 19th century. The wide passage has been partly remodeled, with a small room added to the rear. A staircase rises at the back of the hall, accessible from the passage. There is also a probably 19th-century outbuilding at the rear of the inner room, which was remodeled and converted into a kitchen in the 20th century.

The exterior of the cottage is two stories high with an asymmetrical four-window front, featuring semi-dormer windows on the first floor. There is a 20th-century thatched porch and a front door leading to the passage, located to the right of center, as well as a 20th-century door to the inner room on the left. The windows are 1, 2, and 3-light timber casements from the 19th or 20th century, complete with glazing bars.

Inside, the hall boasts an open granite fireplace (with the lintel replaced) and a 19th-century brick-lined bread oven. There are two chamfered 17th-century cross beams with step nick stops that feature decorative carving. A jetty over a good plank and muntin screen leads to the inner room, with chamfered muntins that have diagonal stops and an original cambered doorframe. The room in the passage incorporates some muntins from a former screen. The lower end room has a roughly dressed exposed crossbeam. The roof is constructed using side-pegged jointed cruck, with the hall truss featuring a cranked collar mortised into the principals and a diagonally-set ridge. The apex of the roof has not been thoroughly inspected but is heavily sooted over the hall and includes rafters, battens, and thatch. There is a closed truss over the hall/inner room partition, which is also heavily sooted on the hall side. Copplestone Cottage is an evolved house with medieval origins, showcasing an attractive exterior and notable interior features.