Little Orchard Cottage

Summary

A pre-1700 cottage constructed of cob.

Reasons for Designation

Little Orchard Cottage is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a pre-1700 cottage constructed of cob it is a good representative example of a vernacular historic dwelling;
* it is well-constructed with high quality features including an inglenook fireplace, staircase and other joinery;
* it has been subject to relatively few alterations and retains a substantial proportion of its historic fabric in a legible arrangement.

History

Little Orchard Cottage is a dwelling of C17 or C18 origin and it is shown on the tithe map of 1842. By the time of the Ordnance Survey (OS) Map of 1889 a structure was attached to the rear (north), possibly a kitchen or washhouse. By 1906 a smaller structure is shown attached to the rear and there is a small detached structure in the garden to the north-east. A kitchen addition to the north-east flank was added by the time of the 1955 OS map. In the later C20 a full-width bathroom was built to the rear of the cottage and a thatch-roofed extension added to the north-east corner. Garden buildings and structures have been added in the late C20 and C21 and the first-floor structure of the cottage has been reinforced with steel plates and a timber post and brace.

Details

A cottage of C17 or C18 date with later alterations and extensions.

MATERIALS: constructed of cob and stone with timber floor and roof structures, and with later steel reinforcement. The C20 extensions are built of modern materials. The roofs are thatched. The windows are modern timber casements.

PLAN: a two-unit plan constructed on a north-west/ south-east orientation and with C20 extensions. The cottage is of a single storey plus attic. The principal ground-floor room has a lateral inglenook fireplace to the front (south-west) wall and a lateral staircase to the rear. There is a narrower room to the north-west end with a single-bay kitchen addition. To the rear is a bathroom outshut. The late-C20 wing attached to the north-east corner is of single storey and built on elevated ground.

EXTERIOR: the principal elevation is of four bays under hipped thatched roofs. Between the central and right bays is a projecting lateral chimney breast and stack with offsets that has been raised in C20 brick. The ground-floor window to the right is probably the former main entrance to the cottage. To the right corner is a low buttress. To the left of the chimney breast is a casement opening with attic dormer above. The C20 single-storey bay to the far left has a timber door and casement. Each flank elevation has an attic casement. Attached to the east end is a C20 projecting lobby under a thatched roof that oversails from the late-C20 wing behind. To the rear elevation of the cottage is a C20 outshut with a pantile roof.

INTERIOR: the main entrance is a modern insertion through a C20 lobby and opens to the bottom of the stair, which has a C17/C18 door frame. The bottom of the stair is located at the rear of the former cottage through-passage. The former rear cottage entrance opens into the late-C20 wing and has a set of two oak lintels spanning the cob outer wall.

The principal ground-floor room of the cottage has a stone inglenook fireplace in the south wall with an oak bressumer and stone hearth. The former spine beam supporting the first floor, which formerly defined a through-passage, has been replaced with a steel beam that is boxed in and supported by an oak post at one end and a brace attached to the left side of the inglenook. The joists have been strengthened with steel plates and are not aligned with the roughly-worked joists in the next room, which is accessed through a C17/C18 door opening within a partition wall. The moulded doorframe has a rudimentary door catch. The north end wall has an alcove cut in the cob and a doorway into the C20 kitchen.

The staircase appears to be of C17 or C18 date and, along with the landing, prominently slopes down in a southerly direction. Four sets of narrow roof trusses are exposed to the first floor and, above the inserted ceiling, are complete to the apex of the roof with collars and projecting oak pegs. There is some C20 bracing around an inserted water tank in the roof. The door frames and fitted cupboards to the first floor are mainly of C18 or C19 origin and some doors have been adapted to accommodate the slope in the floor.

End of official list entry

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