Building record WKB 054 - Brook Cottage

Brook Cottage appears to represent a 15th century open-hall house that was extended and remodelled in later centuries.The central part of Brook Cottage is considerably older than its two ends. Of its original timber-framed structure only three corner posts and three studs are now partly visible, and several exposed timbers, which at first sight might appear to be original, were imported from elsewhere in a late-20th century restoration. The nature of the frame is consistent with a 15th or early-16th century date, and probably represents the ‘low’ end of an open hall. The building was small by the standards of its day, and the partition seems to have contained only a single central service door rather than the usual two. The ceiling of the easternmost room of the house dates from the 17th century and appears original to its structure, this room is typical of the enlarged parlours that were often added to medieval houses in the 17th century when their original small parlours were found insufficient for the new domestic demands placed upon them. Brook Cottage seems to have been a single, modest dwelling, possessed of low eaves, narrow walls and a single fireplace until it began to rise in the social scale during the 19th century. Its small medieval service bay may have been lost during the 17th century, as were many others, but may have remained in situ until 1818 when its present replacement was built. The addition of a wing to the rear of the cottage probably coincided with the western extension of 1818 as its roof structure is identical. The lean-to extension to the east of the rear kitchen appears to date from the late-19th century when the remarkably array of Mock-Gothic arched windows was added to the cottage. The spacious entrance lobby, with its finely paved floor and impressive mid-Victorian door case, is something of an anomaly for a rural thatched cottage in Suffolk, and is also a 19th century addition (S1).