Church Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on E side of Merlin's Hill, approached from access to Garden House, some 20m down Freemen's Way from roundabout, and sited on bank to left of driveway.

History

One wall of a medieval building, possibly the former chapel of St Mary Magdalene, incorporated into an outbuilding, disused 2005. The building comprises a thick S wall with on the front the deep splayed reveals of medieval pointed windows, thus presumably the internal face of the N wall of the former chapel. The side and low N walls are added, as part of a cottage or outbuilding re-use. Disused in photograph of 1937. The history of the site is very obscure, it was supposedly a leper hospital. There is a reference to a leper house at Rotherengayle in 1473, a name otherwise unknown, and no mention of a chapel. The chapel is recorded in 1564 as having been seized and a survey of 1592 mentions a chapel and a churchyard of half an acre.

Exterior

Outbuilding, roughcast rubble stone with slate roof of unequal pitches, short slated roof to S front, long roof behind. The building comprises a thick S wall, single storey with the heavily roughcast large reveals to three small blocked pointed windows, one to centre, one to centre right, both over small modern windows, and one to far right. Door and modern small window to left. Rear has long roof, and low wall with C20 square sash windows, 12-pane to right, then door, then three 9-pane windows, the last two set lower.

Interior

Interior has monopitch roof and scant signs of the three blocked narrow windows. No cut stone to surrounds.

Reason for designation

Included for its special historical interest as remnant of a small medieval chapel.