Court Hay Cottage And Court Cottage

These are a pair of late-Georgian cottages, dating from the early 19th century, originally built as estate cottages for the owners of Somerton Court, a separately listed building located to the south. They are constructed of coursed blue lias stone with a pitched slate roof. The cottages feature an intact central shared stone stack, along with further stacks to the gable ends; the right-hand stack of Court Cottage has been incorporated into a late 20th-century extension, which itself has a further, late 20th-century stack to its gable end. A single-storey range with a clay tile roof is located at the west end of Court Hay Cottage.

The front elevations of both cottages are symmetrical, with segmental arched openings set under flat lintels; the ground floors are stone, while the upper floors have timber window frames. Each cottage has four sixteen-pane sash windows to the front, positioned either side of the entrance door at ground floor, with two further sash windows at first floor. A late 20th-century two-storey, two-bay extension has been added to the east side of Court Cottage, featuring similar windows but with concrete lintels to the ground floor. The rear elevation has a single casement window to each cottage, illuminating the upper landing.

The interior of Court Cottage retains its original layout downstairs, including a central hall and staircase. The main rooms originally had fireplaces, now with modern surrounds. Upstairs, the right-hand room has been narrowed to create a passageway and access to the late 20th-century extension, although the basic two-up, two-down plan remains visible. The interior of Court Hay Cottage was not inspected.

The cottages appear on the 1841 Tithe Map of Somerton and represent a well-preserved example of late-Georgian estate cottages, notable for their carefully considered facade with small-pane sash windows, stone dressings, and a pilaster defining the division between the properties. They retain their essential character as simple cottages, once housing estate workers and their families.