TQ 53 NW SPELDHURST ASHURST HILL, ASHURST 7/431 Nos 1, 2 and 3 Orchard Cottages II 3 cottages. Circa 1890-1900 by unknown architect, small addition of circa 1970. Roughcast brick; brick walls with roughcast chimneyshafts; peg-tile roof. Plan: Originally built as a row of 4 contemporary cottages built down the hillslope and facing south south west, say south. They number 1-3 from left (downhill) to right. No 1 occupies 2 of the original cottages. Each is one- room wide and 2 rooms deep. The left southern cottage has an axial stack to right backing onto the adjoining cottage. The next one has a stack in a similar position. An axial stack between the other 2 cottages serves back-to- back fireplaces. Centre cottages had front doorways and the end ones have doorways in the end walls. No 1 now has a 2-storey porch extension on the left end set back from the front. 2 storeys. Exterior: Vernacular Revival style in the manner of Voysey. Irregular 3- window front of timber casements with glazing bars. A raking buttress projects from the centre. To right the front doorway of No 2 and right of it a window. To left 3 windows, the centre one blocking an original front doorway. Continuous hoodmould over the windows and doorway interrupted by the buttress. Hoodmould made by the roughcast lipping outwards onto tiles. Similar hoodmoulds over the first floor windows which are gabled half dormers with plain bargeboards. There is one to No 2 and 2 to No 1, that is to say one to each of the original, cottages. Doorway to No 2 contains original top glazed plank door. Irregular roof with a higher section to right (uphill). It is half-hipped to right and, in the centre hips down to the lower ridge and is hipped to left. Right end wall is flanked by raking buttresses and has a 2-window front in the same style as the front with a doorway toward the rear containing a door like that in No 3. At the left end of the front wall it returns round the end with a broad curving corner. Doorway this end replaced by circa 1970 porch. Interior: Not inspected. This is an attractive row of Vernacular Revival cottages. Listing NGR: TQ5075438975