1155/0/10032 ASHFORD ROAD 24-JUL-08 FOSTER COTTAGE GV II Cottage. C18, refenestrated and porch added in the early C20. The early C21 conservatory to the south-west is not of special interest. MATERIALS: Red brick with some grey and yellow headers in Flemish bond to the south-east and south-west elevations, English bond to the north-east and north-west elevations and the upper floor is timber framed, clad in weatherboarding except for the north-east elevation which is tiled. Gabled tiled roof with catslide to the rear with a large external brick chimneystack to the north-east, mainly in stretcher bond and tiled towards the base. PLAN: Two bay end chimneystack house of two storeys with integral rear single-storey outshot, modified by a later porch. There are two unequal sized rooms on each floor plus the ground floor outshut. EXTERIOR: The south-east or front elevation has two tripartite early C20 wooden casements, the right side ground floor window a canted bay with penticed tiled roof supported on wooden brackets. The central porch is of late C19 or early C20 date, brick with penticed tiled roof with beaded plank door and fixed casement side-lights. Leading from the front door to the south is a Bethersden marble path. The north-west elevation has a tile-hung first floor and no windows. The south-west elevation has an early C20 casement window to each floor. A smaller second external brick chimneystack has recently been removed from this elevation and the northern part of the ground floor has been removed. Most of the ground floor is now obscured by a later conservatory. The north-west side is of English bond brickwork with two C19 casements. INTERIOR: The front door opens into a narrow staircase hall with ledged plank doors leading to the two ground floor rooms. The larger north room has an open fireplace with brick surround and wooden bressumer, unchamfered spine beam and floor joists of thin timber scantling, originally ceiled over as they still bear the marks of wet plaster. A further ledged and braced door in the west wall leads into the outshot. The smaller south room has a spine beam of reused timber and similar ceiling joists to the north room. The rear outshot has an old tiled floor and part of the timber framed south-west wall with lath and plaster infilling was visible. The straight flight staircase has plank dado panelling and there are three plank doors at the head of the stairs, the central one leading to a cupboard. Both bedrooms have exposed ceiling beams of thin timber scantling and the larger north bedroom has a large cupboard to the south-east with latched plank door with pintle hinges. The roof space was not inspected. HISTORY: Within living memory Foster Cotttage was in the same ownership as Potten Farmhouse, which originally adjoined to the north but is now separated by another property. It appears on the 1871 First Edition Ordnance Survey map for Bethersden without a porch. REASONS FOR LISTING: * A substantially intact C18 two bay end chimneystack house with rear outshot whose plan form is still clearly readable; * It is built of a variety of vernacular building materials including hand made local bricks laid in a variety of bond patterns and timberframing, clad in weatherboarding or tile-hung; * It retains many original internal features including an open fireplace, exposed spine beams and ceiling beams, plank doors and tiled floor; * It has group value with Potten Farmhouse (Grade II) with which it was historically linked.