Courtyard Cottages

Cadw's description

Location

Dominating position at village centre crossroads.

Exterior

C15 cruck-framed hall-house with c1600 jettied crosswing, later extended and in C19 converted to 3 cottages. Currently (1992) undergoing radical renovations and being put back to single dwelling. Rubble walls of various periods replacing timber-framing, single row of square-panel framing survives on roadside elevation. Stone tile roof. South range of one-and-a-half storeys with eaves dormers to front and rear, brick ridge stack and rear corner stack. Two-storey crosswing with close-set framing to side walls; jettied gable end is mainly recent reconstruction, one original corner post with shafted decoration survives. Rear gable end is rubble with exposed modern truss. Two-and-a-half storey north range with central brick ridge stack. This block was originally built as infill between the crosswing and an adjoining building. The timber-framed gable end of the latter now forms the north gable end of the existing block. All windows modern replacements, 3 C19 boarded cottage doors to rear elevation.

Interior

South range contains remnants of 3 cruck trusses only partially exposed, all show smoke-blackening. Central truss has high collar and thin apex yoke on the north side, notched and halved into the blades. A massive rubble stack was inserted c1600 to the south of this truss, the fireplace lintel is chamfered with broach stops. The room it serves has chamfered beams and exposed joists. A later roof structure is set over the cruck range. The crosswing has chamfered beams with broach stops and counter-changed joists on the ground floor, the main beam is supported on 2 projecting, chamfered wall posts. The close-set framing only extends for one metre into the room, the rear sections have large panel framing. At ceiling height are chamfered bressummer beams with large step stops. A late C18 hob grate is set into a rubble stack inserted into the north west corner. The first floor of the crosswing is divided into 2 rooms with a timber partition and collar beam truss with angle braces. The north range is divided into 2 rooms on the ground floor, each with scroll-stopped beams.

Ogee-headed doorways and shafted posts are recent insertions and appear to have no historical validity. The resiting of certain cruck blades and the re-arrangement of beams and joists in the south range is also part of the current (1992) works.