9-13, Elliott Plain

A group of four cottages, believed to be a former farmhouse, located on the edge of the urban area. Dating back to around 1700, the building may incorporate elements of a 17th-century or earlier structure. The exterior is of roughcast cob with some stone rubble to the rear, and has a natural slate roof with gable ends. There are two axial stacks, one with a grey limestone rubble shaft and the other with a rendered shaft.

The building is a long, single-depth range, four rooms wide, with various rear additions. A narrow passage, open to the rear, divides the right-hand rooms. Newel staircases are located on the opposite wall to the passage within each room, with the stair in the right-hand room winding around the axial stack.

The asymmetrical front has a six-window design and three doorways. The passage doorway is positioned to the right of centre, with a recessed plank door and drop latch within a plain pegged frame, likely dating to the 18th century. There are half-glazed timber doors on the right and in the centre of the range. The windows are 18th-century or timber 2-light casements with six panes per light, though some are modern replacements.

The interior of the right-hand end cottage was inspected and features a waney axial beam and exposed joists in the passage. Oral history suggests the passage was historically used for slaughtering and hanging pig carcasses. A winder stair with timber treads is located within a rounded turret at the right end. A modern ceiling is said to conceal earlier joists. A ground-floor room to the left of the passage has a chamfered cross beam with no visible stops, along with waney joists. It contains an open fireplace with an unstopped chamfered lintel and a bread oven. A wide winder stair surrounds the stack. A rear lean-to, formerly a dairy with slate-topped shelves, has exposed joists; this room also features exposed joists. The first-floor rooms inspected are plain with 20th-century doors. The roof over the left-hand side of two of the right-hand rooms is supported by an 1840s king post and strut trusses. Number 13, the most left-hand cottage, has been modernised, featuring a new fireplace lintel and 20th-century ceiling beams. The remaining roof structure was not fully inspected but is likely to be of interest.

The building retains an attractive, plain vernacular exterior, reflecting characteristics of local cob construction, including a rounded corner and undulations. The interior contains historic features, although some may be concealed by later plasterwork.