Zennar

This is a cottage, dating to the 17th century, with alterations made in the mid-19th century. The rear wall is of rendered cob on a stone plinth, a remnant of the original 17th-century construction. The remaining walls were rebuilt in the mid-19th century using colourwashed brick, and the roof is gabled and thatched. The property comprises three units; the original 17th-century house had a hall to the left of a lofted inner room. It is a single-storey building with a three-window front. A mid-19th century plank door is set in a beaded wooden frame to the centre, flanked by two and three-light casement windows likely dating to the mid to late 19th century. A colourwashed brick service extension, with a gabled plain tile roof, was added to the left in the mid-19th century. At the rear are a small mid-19th century one-light window in a pegged frame, and another from the mid to late 19th century with glazing bars. Inside, a 19th-century partition to the right of the front door reveals the lower part of a raised cruck, although it is not fully visible. Further to the right is another 19th-century partition set under a low tie beam. In the two bays on the right are exposed through purlins and a simple A-frame roof construction, along with some old thatching spars and rafters made from branches. The original 17th-century fireplace may have originally been a form of smoke hood. The building is a rare example of a one-storey peasant house, likely representing a squatter’s house built on the edge of common land.