Summary
A timber-framed cottage, dating from the later C18 or early C19, with later single-storey extensions. The single-storey extensions are not of special interest.
Reasons for Designation
Lane's Cottage, a later-C18 or early C19 timber-framed cottage, listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the building is a good quality, later-C18 or early-C19 cottage with intact timber framing, deep gables and cottage-ornée detailing;
* Intactness: the main range appears largely unaltered and retains most of its structure, including external and internal timber work and joinery, and its large stone chimney breast housing a large open fireplace with bressumer over;
* Historic interest: the cottage originated as a worker's cottage for the Sudeley Manor estate, on whose former land it stands, and as a result, its style demonstrates a greater architectural sense than would be usual for a cottage of this date in an isolated location well away from other buildings and with little passing traffic.
History
Lane's Cottage originated in the later C18 or early C19, as a gamekeeper's or other estate worker's cottage for the Sudeley Manor estate; it lies less than 1km south of Sudeley Castle, a C15 and later fortified house, which had an estate of over 12,000 acres before C19 and C20 land sales took place. It is not indicated on a map of the estate compiled in 1783 to show the holdings of the manor when owned by Lord Rivers; but is present, and named, on a tithe map of the Sudeley Estate dating from 1848, when it was owned by Messrs John and William Dent Esq. Having seen royal visits by Henry VIII and other monarchs, and the burial of Katharine Parr in the chapel, Sudeley Castle became a garrison for Parliamentary troops during the Civil War, and was briefly besieged by Royalist forces; as a result, it had been slighted in 1647, and had never recovered. The Dent brothers, wealthy glovemakers from Worcester, bought the estate from Lord Rivers in 1830, and took on the castle and its surroundings in 1837. The Dent family revitalised the fortunes of the castle and the estate during the C19, restoring the castle, chapel and ancillary buildings, and were also philanthropic supporters of the adjacent town of Winchcombe.
Lane's Cottage appears to have originated as a single-depth, two-bay range running north west-south east, to which was later added a single-storey lean-to extension; a further range was added at right-angles to this lower end of the range, running north east-south west. Close examination of the historic Ordnance Survey map series shows that a range of the same proportions and in the same location was present on the maps published in 1884, 1902 and 1923, though these maps do not reflect the slightly angled alignment of the present range, which may therefore indicate that the current buildings are a later replacement for this earlier range. On all these maps, back to and including that of 1844, the house is identified as Lane's Cottage. C20 agricultural buildings were added to the south-east of the house in the later C20.
Details
MATERIALS
The main range is timber framed, with painted brick infill, set on a high rubble-stone plinth; the stack is of brick, and the roof is covered in artificial Cotswold stone tiles laid in diminishing courses.
PLAN
The footprint of the building is L-shaped, one arm formed by the main range and its short lateral extension, the other arm, set roughly at right angles to the main range, is the narrower single-storey range. The main range has a two-room plan, with a large central stack.
EXTERIOR
The main range is of one-and-a-half storeys, with timber-framed elevations and a high stone plinth, which rises to the height of the ground-floor window cills. The square timber framing is of slender scantling, with long diagonal passing braces. The principal elevation is of two bays, with wide gabled dormers which have diagonal framing struts, decorative bargeboards and finials at the apexes. The entrance doorway is set in the left bay, with a window to the right bay; above these are the dormers. The entrance door is a plank and batten door with reeded and beaded planks. The decorative wrought-iron strap hinges, dating from the late C19 or early C20, are applied for decoration; the functioning C20 strap hinges are set on the interior face. There is a tall central ridge stack in red brick in two stages, with a stone drip mould and a moulded brick cap. Part of the plinth to the right-hand bay has been rebuilt. The rear elevation has had additional timbers applied to the exterior of the framing timbers to strengthen the structure, tied back with a variety of fixings including iron bolts. The left-hand window sits above a rebuilt section of the plinth which has straight joints indicating that it was formerly a doorway. The gable ends each have a window in the attic, and the northern gable end also has a ground-floor window, of two lights divided by a timber mullion. The southern end has a smaller window above the irregular roof of the lean-to kitchen; the gable end is clad in waney-edged weatherboarding. The windows are a variety of mid-C20 metal casements, with some top-hung opening panes.
INTERIOR
The main range has a two-room plan, with a large stone-built central stack. The ground-floor rooms have very large, chamfered, lateral timber ceiling beams, and more slender timber joists with chamfers and run-out stops. The joists to one corner of one room have been replaced in recent years. The stone plinth extends to the interior, where the stone is largely exposed. The southern room has a wide fireplace built in stone with monolithic uprights, the internal lining of one side being partially rebuilt. There is a very large timber bressumer over the opening. Between the two rooms is a plank and batten door of late C18 or early C19 date, with wrought-iron strap hinges and moulded edges to the planks. The northern room, which has a C20 red tile floor, houses a later, straight timber stair, perhaps late-C19 in date, which rises at the rear of the chimney breast, and splits to both sides from a half-landing just below the height of the ground-floor ceiling. The attic is divided into three bedrooms; the two bays are divided by the large central stack. The floors are covered in wide timber boards, with some areas of patching and replacement. The roof is ceiled above the level of the purlins, but shows a single central truss to one side of the stack, with tie-beam, principal rafters and single purlins. The tie beam has a low-arched cut-out section. The scantling of the tie beam and associated timbers is much larger than that of the external framing.
