Hollybush Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 1.3km SE of Leighton church and on S side of a private forest road E of Leighton Farm.

History

Early C18 house, modified in later C19 (with new windows, barge boards and porch) when part of John Naylor's Leighton Estate. Naylor acquired the Estate in 1846-47 and embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Leighton Hall, church and Farm, which was largely completed by the mid 1850s. He continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889. His grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold the Estate in 1931.

Exterior

Two-unit lobby entry house with entrance backing on to gable end stack. One-and-a-half storeys of timber framing in square panels with brick nogging painted white and on a rubble stone plinth. Slate roof (renewed late C20) with end brick stacks. Two-window front with doorway to R. Dormers have cusped barge boards and 2-light iron-frame casements with small panes. Similar window in earlier opening to L in lower storey; enlarged casement window to R. Doorway to R has a modern door in earlier opening, and in C19 timber-framed porch with barge boards similar to dormers. R side wall is rubble stone painted white; L side wall has single-storey brick lean-to painted white. Two-window rear has a centrally-placed boarded door, wood-framed casement to L and casement to R similar to front. Dormers are also similar to front.

Interior

Not inspected (November 1996).

Reason for designation

A well-preserved example of a late timber-framed small vernacular cottage, of additional interest for its association with the Leighton Estate and Naylor’s late C19 improvements there.