Building record BRK 142 - Rose Cottage

In the Hearth Tax returns of 1674 Mr Mudd’s house (Rose Cottage) was recorded to contain a single hearth. In the 1917 Sale Particulars the house was described as a: ‘Plaster and Thatched Cottage containing 2 Bedrooms, Sitting Room, Kitchen and Pantry, Brick and Tiled Tool Shed Garden’. A study of the historical maps has informed us that the cottage as illustrated on the 1842, 1904 and 1917 maps was substantially smaller than the existing house; the1917 Sale Particulars describe a thatched two cell cottage. The two cell cottage was originally divided into a hall which also served as a kitchen and a secondary cell which may have served as a service cell or room. The position of the brick stack suggests that the building had a lobby entry from very early on though this may not have always been the case. The back door of the building was likely located in the rear wall of the service cell.

The original timber-framed core of the building appears to date to the 16th century with a secondary early 17th century phase of alterations. The substantial 20th century alterations to the cottage have on the whole removed the historic features such as fixtures and fittings dating between the 17th and 20th century.

The exterior of the cottage has entirely been refronted during the 20th century. The building was extensively extended during the 20th century phase of alterations which as a consequence have entirely obscured the character and appearance of the late 16th century cottage. The late 16th century timber frame of the cottage is still largely intact with its late 16th or early 17th century redbrick chimneystack. The timber frame of the building appears to have been constructed from timbers associated with an earlier structure dating to the 15th century or possibly earlier (S1).