The Old Cottage

The Old Cottage is a 17th-century cottage, with a possible 18th-century extension to the south. It’s constructed from rubble ham stone, with some squared stones, and has ashlar dressings. The roof is thatched with coped gables, and there are brick stacks at the ends and in between. The cottage is a single storey with an attic, and it has five bays. The lower four bays feature hollow-chamfered mullioned windows with leaded lights; the lower bay has a three-light window with a label, the lower bay has a four-light window with a label and the upper bay has a three-light window without a label. Between bays four and five is a chamfered cambered arched doorway with a massive lintel. Other windows are casement windows with small panes or single horizontal glazing bars, those on the ground floor have exposed timber lintels, and the upper windows of bays two, three, four and five are set into the thatch. A 20th-century lean-to garage is attached to the south gable. The cottage is attached to Balaster’s Farm House on the north side. A 1982 report mentioned chamfered spine beams with step and run-out stops, a wide 17th-century stone fireplace with an early repair in the north gable, and a circular timber staircase alongside.