April Cottage the Gardens

APRIL COTTAGE, FORE STREET

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1097524
Date first listed:
10-Feb-1987
List Entry Name:
April Cottage the Gardens
Statutory Address:
APRIL COTTAGE, FORE STREET

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Location

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Date:
2003-03-20
Reference:
IOE01/08931/09
Rights:
© Mr M. H. Carter. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1097524
Date first listed:
10-Feb-1987
List Entry Name:
April Cottage the Gardens
Statutory Address 1:
APRIL COTTAGE, FORE STREET
Statutory Address 2:
THE GARDENS, FORE STREET

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
APRIL COTTAGE, FORE STREET
Statutory Address:
THE GARDENS, FORE STREET

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Devon
District:
East Devon (District Authority)
Parish:
Otterton
National Grid Reference:
SY 08287 85313

Details

OTTERTON FORE STREET (north side), SY 0885 Otterton 7/154 The Gardens and April Cottage GV II

2 cottages, formerly a single house. Late C15-early C16 with later C16 and C17 improvements, subdivided and modernised circa 1970. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings; stone rubble or cob stacks topped with C19 and C20 brick; thatch roof, pantile roofs to outshots. The original house had a 3-room-and-through-passage plan facing south-south-east, say south, and set back a short distance from Fore Street. The former inner room is at the right (eastern) end. Both the former inner and service end rooms have gable- end stacks and the former hall has a rear lateral stack. The Gardens now occupies the hall and inner room at the right end and April Cottage occupies the former passage and service end room. The passage screen in the latter has been removed. Both cottages have a similar single storey 1-room service outshot built onto the rear circa 1970. Main block is 2 storeys. Overall irregular 4-window front of C19 and C20 replacement casements all containing diamond panes of leaded glass. The front doorway of the former passage now belongs to April Cottage and it now contains a circa 1970 stable-type door and a contemporary hipped thatch hood on long curving timber struts. The doorway to The Gardens is to rear of the right end wall and it contains a circa 1970 door with a similar hood. The roof is gable ended to left and half-hipped to right. Interior. The Gardens was not available for inspection at the time of survey. April cottage was and if that is anything to go by The Gardens should include some good early carpentry detail. The oldest feature is the roof(only inspected in part). There is a truss in the party wall between the cottages (over the upper end of the passage). The lower section of the truss is plastered over but its shape suggests that it is some form of jointed cruck. The roof over this end is smoke- blackened including some of the thatch there. Since this is the service room end this suggests that the original house was open to the roof, heated by an open hearth fire and divided only by low partition screens. On the ground floor no carpentry detail is exposed. The fireplace however is. It is probably late C16-early C17, built of local conglomerate sandstone, its oak lintel has an unusually deep soffit chamfer and the side oven is lined with late C17-early C18 brick. It is unusually smart and quite small too for a kitchen fireplace. Possibly this was a service end parlour. This pair of cottages are very pretty and group with other attractive listed buildings along Otterton Fore Street.

Listing NGR: SY0828785313

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
86355
Legacy System:
LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of April Cottage the Gardens

Map

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End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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