Building record YOX 044 - Wisbech Cottage

Wisbech Cottage is a highly distinctive and picturesque grade II-listed timber-framed and rendered building on the western side of Yoxford High Street. Its distinctive U-shaped outline, with two narrow cross-wings of unequal length extending eastwards towards the street, is clearly visible on the parish tithe map of 1839 – lacking only the mid-19th century lean-to which now adjoins its southern side-elevation. At that time it appears to have been owned in conjunction with neighbouring Hope House, a substantial town house with a red brick Georgian facade, and was divided into two tenements until the latter part of the 20th century. The original building dates from the mid- to late-16th century and appears to represent a rare ‘two-cell’ artisan’s dwelling of small proportions, extending to just 7.4 m by 5 (24.25 ft by 16), with a hall entered by a cross-passage to the right (north) and a service bay to the left. The present high-end chimney is an insertion of the 17th century with a good 19th century fire surround but was probably rebuilt on the site of a 16th century predecessor; the hall ceiling is hidden by plaster but there is nothing to suggest it is a later insertion. The left-hand wing was added to the front wall of the service bay in the 17th century, apparently to create a second tenement with its own external door. This is consistent with the Ordnance Surveys of 1882 and 1903 which show this wing as a separate cottage in conjunction with the service bay. The framing of an original window and blocked door can still be seen in its central room, but much of the fabric was rebuilt in the 18th century when the ceiling was raised in height by approximately 9 inches. The diminutive right-hand wing of just 2.4 m (8 ft) in width was probably added in the 18th century, although its timbers have been re-used and have an earlier appearance; it probably served as the parlour or service room of the northern tenement but pintle hinges for external shutters in its window sill suggest it may have functioned as a shop. The sharply racked roof gable of this wing lends much to the property’s visual character and shows no signs of further movement – although the roof structure is inaccessible. In contrast to the street elevation, which is masked by its extensions, the rear elevation has remained largely unaltered and illustrates the building’s 16th century proportions beneath an unusually striped roof of black-glazed, gault (white) and terracotta pantiles which replaced the original thatch.