Listed Building: ST NORTONS COTTAGES (1262837)

Grade II
Authority
Volume/Map/Item 1356, 1, 253
Date assigned 26 November 1987
Date last amended

Description

TQ 64 NW CAPEL FIVE OAK GREEN ROAD (north side) 1/253 Nos 1 and 2 St Nortons Cottages 26.11.87 II 2 cottages, formerly a farmhouse. Mid/late C16 with some early/mid C17 alterations, refurbished circa 1970. Timber-framed, the ground floor largely underbuilt with C19 Flemish bond red brick, framing is exposed above first floor level; brick stack and early/mid C17 brick chimneyshaft; peg-tile roof. Plan: 2 cottages made by dividing a 3-room plan farmhouse set back from the road and facing south south east, say south. Its original layout was a 3- room-and-through-passage plan. At the left (west) end is an unheated inner room. Next to it is the hall with an axial stack at the lower end, originally backing onto a through passage. The hall was floored from the beginning and the mid/late C16 stack served fireplaces to the hall and the chamber above. The right end room, the original service end room was unheated. However in the early/mid C17 it was converted to a kitchen and a new fireplace was built in the original passage backing onto the hall fireplace. The house thus assumed a lobby entrance plan. It was probably divided into cottages in the mid/late C19. No 1 occupies the former inner room and hall section whilst No 2 occupies the C17 kitchen and a probably C19 outshot to rear. House is 2 storeys with attics in the roofspace and lean-to outshot to rear of right end. Exterior: Front and back first floor frames of 4 uneven bays articulating the layout. Only some of the posts have curving tension braces. Irregular 5- window front of various casement and fixed pane windows, variously plain, glazing bars and diamond or rectangular panes of leaded glass. All are C20 but the 3 smaller first floor windows have original plain frames and a couple have original diamond mullions (there are more in the other walls). Original front doorway was blocked up when the ground floor level was underbuilt although the right (No 2) cottage doorway is close by to right. The doorway to No 1 is left of centre, into the upper end of the former hall. Both contain C20 plank doors with strap hinges. Tall roof is gable-ended. Interior: Original structural carpentry is well-preserved. Most of the rooms have plain chamfered axial beams and a couple (e.g. the hall chamber) have scroll stops. Plain joists are mostly exposed. Hall has brick fireplace with sandstone ashlar jambs and chamfered oak lintel; smaller version for the chamber above. Inserted C17 kitchen fireplace is large, brick with chamfered oak lintel. Rail across the kitchen chimneybreast has disused mortises along its soffit proving that it was once the lower passage partition. 4-bay roof of collared tie-beam trusses with clasped side purlins, diminished principals, queen struts and small curving windbraces. Most of the joinery is C20. This is an attractive and well-preserved small C16 farmhouse of modest status. Listing NGR: TQ6464645344

External Links (0)

Sources (1)

  • Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

Map

Location

Grid reference TQ 6464 4534 (point)
Map sheet TQ64NW
Civil Parish CAPEL, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Record last edited

Nov 16 2006 5:21PM