Courtyard Cottages

This is a 15th-century cruck-framed hall house with a jettied crosswing added around 1600, later extended and converted into three cottages in the 19th century. Currently undergoing extensive renovations to restore it to a single dwelling. The walls are largely of rubble construction, replacing much of the original timber framing; however, a single row of square-panel framing remains visible on the roadside elevation. The roof is covered in stone tiles.

The south range is one-and-a-half storeys high, featuring eaves dormers at the front and rear. It contains a brick ridge stack and a rear corner stack. Three partially exposed cruck trusses remain within the south range, all showing signs of smoke-blackening. The central truss has a high collar and a thin apex yoke on the north side, notched and halved into the blades. A substantial rubble stack was built around 1600 to the south of this truss, its fireplace lintel being chamfered with broach stops. The room served by this fireplace has chamfered beams and exposed joists. A later roof structure is situated above the cruck range.

The two-storey crosswing has close-set framing to the side walls, with a largely reconstructed jettied gable end. One original corner post survives, featuring shafted decoration. The rear gable end is of rubble construction with an exposed modern truss. The north range, two-and-a-half storeys high, was initially built as an infill between the crosswing and an adjacent building. The timber-framed gable end of the original adjoining building now forms the north gable end of this block, featuring a central brick ridge stack. All windows are modern replacements, and there are three 19th-century boarded cottage doors on the rear elevation.

The ground floor of the crosswing boasts chamfered beams with broach stops and counter-changed joists. The main beam is supported by two projecting, chamfered wall posts. The close-set framing extends only one meter into the room; the rear sections display larger panel framing. At ceiling height are chamfered bressummer beams with large step stops. A late 18th-century hob grate is set into a rubble stack inserted into the northwest corner. The first floor of the crosswing is divided into two rooms by a timber partition and a collar beam truss with angle braces. The north range is divided into two ground-floor rooms, each with scroll-stopped beams.

Certain ogee-headed doorways and shafted posts are modern insertions and appear historically inaccurate. Recent work also includes the repositioning of cruck blades and the rearrangement of beams and joists within the south range.